Before It All
by foreverthecrazygurl
Summary: It's the year 1993 when Remus takes up the job as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. It's Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts, and Sirius Black is on the loose. Nymphadora Tonks is an Auror-in-training, assigned with the mission to protect The Boy Who Lived. Disguised as a student, she tries to figure out the mystery that is Remus Lupin.
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

"Auror Tonks, my office."

Nymphadora Tonks looked up from her desk, finding her mentor in the doorway of the cubicle. She finally finished the report he had assigned her, concerning a man who had an unfortunate run-in with a banshee. Tonks got up and followed him down the hall, and into his office, which was littered with several Sneakoscopes and Foe Glasses.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Mad-Eye?" she asked, ignoring the glare he sent her. She made herself comfortable in a chair and plopping her large boots onto his desk.

"Enough of that, girl!" he growled. "And get your feet off my damned desk! "

Tonks did as he said, seeing a large file on his desk. "What's that?" she asked him, pointing to the file.

"I have a mission for you," Mad-Eye said, taking the file and passing it to her. The file was bigger than others, probably a file of some Death Eater.

Tonks flipped open the worn out folder, freezing at the sight of a familiar face. Yet, at the same time, it wasn't. Sirius Black's wanted poster stared back at her, his deranged attitude evident in the picture. It was a couple weeks after he had broken out of Azkaban, and since then, there have been endless searches. Still in training, she was stuck doing the lesser cases. She also knew that her boss, Kingsley Shacklebolt, was head of the case. Why would Mad-Eye show her this?

_...arrested for the murders of twelve Muggles, Peter Pettigrew, and James and Lily Potter..._

"What do you want me to do?" Tonks asked quietly, heart speeding slightly as she continued to read on. "He.. he's my cousin. Isn't there a policy concerning this?"

As much as she tried to hate him with every muscle in her body, she just couldn't. When she heard his name, she could only remember her time as a child when he would visit. He was her favorite cousin, probably the only one who hadn't been a lunatic. Her mother had been devastated when he was arrested, and so had she. She couldn't help but feel that he was innocent, though she would never admit. After all, he hadn't gotten a trial, how could they be sure he was guilty?

"Dumbledore has requested of me an Auror. Someone who can protect the students during school term. His only condition is that this Auror stay hidden. He doesn't want to '_cause a panic_'. I think it's a bunch of rubbish. They should know the dangers that surround us!" Mad-Eye trailed off ranting something about always being vigilant.

"So I'll be morphed?" Tonks asked, getting back to the topic. "As what? A teacher? I hear the Defense post is still cursed."

"You? A professor at Hogwarts? Merlin's bloody beard, no. You'll be undercover as a student."

Tonks frowned. "That's no fun."

"Being an Auror is not all fun! Constant Vigilance, Nymphadora!" Mad-Eye yelled, his electric blue eyeball swirling around. "Your job is to protect and make sure no bloody thing happens."

"Okay, okay. Is that all?"

"Black is after that Potter boy. Get close to him and make sure he never leaves your sight. The professors and staff will be informed about your mission, including the new Defense professor. You may also want to keep an eye on him. I know this man to be trustworthy, but Black was a very close friend of his."

Tonks raised an eyebrow in question. It was one thing for Mad-Eye to know someone, it was another thing for him to trust them too. She wondered how Mad-Eye had known this person. "Alright," she said, "What's his name anyways?"

"Remus Lupin," Mad-Eye answered.

Tonks's eyebrows scrunched together. Why did that name sound familiar?

"You heard of him?" Mad-Eye asked, seeing her expression.

"No.."

"Get back to work then. Have that report on my desk by today. Report to Shacklebolt tomorrow!"

Tonks nodded as Mad-Eye yelled after her, but she could only stare at the file in her hands.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the world of Harry Potter. Not the characters, not the books, not anything. All credit goes to J.K. Rowling! (Except the plot. That's mine!)**

* * *

It was September 1, and King's Cross Station seemed to be more crowded than usual. Families herded through the station, happily pushing their trolleys. Nymphadora Tonks and John Dawlish looked to be no more than a girl and her father doing the same.

"I can't believe I was picked to do this," Dawlish muttered under his breath, but still keeping a smile on his face. Tonks rolled her eyes at the other Auror, her hands brushing the fringe out of her face.

"You resembled my disguise the most," she said.

The last few days, she and Kingsley had been preparing her mission. Acting like a thirteen year old girl was something Tonks had experience with, but looking like one wasn't exactly easy, especially when you were a Metamorphmagus. After hours of morphing odd and ridiculous features, they had finally settled on an appearance that was somewhat inspired by Dawlish himself.

Tonks had shrunk a couple feet shorter, which wasn't much of a difference from her normal height. Her hair fell down her back in waves, the same dark brown as the older Auror. She chose to keep her natural silvery gray eyes, which was close enough to Dawlish's dull gray.

They came to the entrance of Platform 9 3/4 and crossed through, finding the Hogwarts Express on the other side. Families crowded this platform as well, saying their goodbyes. The pair went to over to a carriage, getting her trunk and her new owl onto the train.

"The train leaves in ten minutes. You better go," Dawlish told her, looking at the giant clock that was suspended over the train. Tonks stood there awkwardly with Dawlish, then caught him by surprise by hugging him.

"What are you doing?" he whispered in her ear, but Tonks could feel his arms wrap around her tensely.

"It's part of the act. Don't worry," she told him through her teeth. She pulled away from him, sending him a grin. "See you in a few months, dad."

"Be good, Emily," Dawlish called out as she walked away. Tonks smiled, mentally noting to compliment him on his acting.

* * *

After encountering flustered first years and Slytherins who sneered as she past by, she found herself edging the end of the train, not finding Harry in any of the compartments. Just as she got to the very last compartment, the whistle sounded and the train began to move. The last compartment was the only one that was relatively empty, except for one occupant.

Tonks knocked and slid the door open. "Hello? May I sit with you?" she asked tentatively. she got no answer, only to realize that the man was asleep.

Tonks closed the door behind her and sat down anyways. She looked at the man's battered case, which confirmed her suspicions. "So this is Remus Lupin," she thought. She was about to check on him again when the door slid open. To her relief, it was the person she was just looking for.

"Oh, uh... mind if we sit with you?" the boy with black hair and green eyes asked. Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived, stood in front of her. Tonks nodded, moving closer to the window, just across Lupin. She saw that he had two people with him- a redheaded boy and a girl with bushy brown hair.

The girl looked over to Tonks, curiosity passing through her eyes. "Hello," she said, smiling. "I don't believe I've seen you around before. Are you new?"

Tonks smiled back, liking the girl already. "Yeah, I've been homeschooled my first two years by my mum. She... died a couple months ago. My parents divorced, so I'm living with my dad," Tonks answered, following her backup story. "He decided to send me to Hogwarts instead. I'll be a third year."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," the girl said apologetically.

"It's alright," I told her, giving her a grin. The next few seconds were silence, only the sounds of Lupin's quiet snores were heard.

"Who d'you reckon he is?" the redheaded boy asked, pointing to Lupin.

"Professor R. J. Lupin." whispered the other girl.

"How'd you know that?"

"It's on his case," she replied, pointing at the luggage rack over the man's head, where Lupin's case was.

"Wonder what he teaches?" said the boy, frowning.

"That's obvious," whispered the girl. "There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Well, I hope he's up to it," said the boy doubtfully. "He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn't he? Anyway..." he turned to Harry, "what were you going to tell us?"

Tonks saw Harry glance her way. "I'll... tell you both later," he told them, looking down at his hands.

The other girl turned to face Tonks. "I'm Hermione Granger." She pointed to the boys across from us. "And this is Ron Weasley and Harry Potter."

"I'm Emily Tonkson," Tonks used her fake name.

"What's that noise?" said Ron suddenly.

A faint, tinny sort of whistle was coming from somewhere. They looked all around the compartment.

"It's coming from your trunk, Harry," said Ron, standing up and reaching into the luggage rack. A moment later he had pulled the Pocket Sneakoscope out from between Harry's robes. It was spinning very fast in the palm of Ron's hand and glowing brilliantly.

"Is that a Sneakoscope?" said Hermione interestedly, standing up for a better look.

Tonks smiled to herself, thinking of Mad-Eye and his many Sneakoscopes. She wondered why it would be whistling. Surely, none of them was doing anything untrustworthy. She shook her head.

"Yeah... mind you, it's a very cheap one," Ron said. "It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol's leg to send it to Harry."

"Were you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" said Hermione shrewdly.

"No! Well... I wasn't supposed to be using Errol. You know he's not really up to long journeys... but how else was I supposed to get Harry's present to him?"

"Stick it back in the trunk," Harry advised as the Sneakoscope whistled piercingly, "or it'll wake him up."

He nodded toward Professor Lupin. Ron stuffed the Sneakoscope into a pair of old socks, which deadened the sound, then closed the lid of the trunk on it.

"We could get it checked in Hogsmeade," said Ron, sitting back down. "They sell that sort of thing in Dervish and Banges, magical instruments and stuff. Fred and George told me."

"Do you know much about Hogsmeade?" asked Hermione keenly. "I've read it's the only entirely non-Muggle settlement in Britain -"

"Yeah, I think it is," said Ron in an offhand sort of way. "but that's not why I want to go. I just want to get inside Honeydukes!"

"What's that?" said Hermione.

"It's this sweetshop," said Ron, a dreamy look coming over his face, "where they've got everything... Pepper Imps - they make you smoke at the mouth - and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, and really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you're thinking what to write next–"

"But Hogsmeade's a very interesting place, isn't it?" Hermione pressed on eagerly. "In Sites of Historical Sorcery it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack's supposed to be the most severely haunted building in Britain -"

"- and massive sherbet balls that make you levitate a few inches off the ground while you're sucking them," said Ron, who was plainly not listening to a word Hermione was saying.

Hermione looked around at Harry and Tonks, who both stayed quiet.

"Have you been to Hogsmeade, Emily?" Tonks looked up from her lap.

"Oh, yeah. It's brilliant there," she told the other girl. "It's especially great in the snow."

"Have you been to the Shrieking Shack? It seems very intri-"

"I'm starving," Ron interrupted. Hermione glared at him, looking to Harry.

"Won't it be nice to get out of school for a bit and explore Hogsmeade?"

"'Spect it will," said Harry heavily. "You'll have to tell me when you've found out."

"What d'you mean?" said Ron.

"I can't go. The Dursleys didn't sign my permission form, and Fudge wouldn't either."

Ron looked horrified.

"You're not allowed to come? But - no way - McGonagall or someone will give you permission-" Harry gave a hollow laugh. Tonks understood. McGonagall was strict and one to go by the rules.

"- or we can ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage out of the castle -"

"Ron!" said Hermione sharply. "I don't think Harry should be sneaking out of the school with Black on the loose -"

"Yeah, I expect that's what McGonagall will say when I ask of permission," said Harry bitterly.

"But if we're with him," said Ron spiritedly to Hermione. "Black wouldn't dare -"

"Oh, Ron, don't talk rubbish," snapped Hermione. "Black's already murdered a whole bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street, do you really think he's going to worry about attacking Harry just because we're there?"

Tonks spent the rest of the train ride listening to Ron and Hermione argue. The lady with the food cart arrived, and later, Slytherins paid a visit to their compartment. She noticed Harry hadn't spoken much, which made it harder for her to get to know him.

The rain thickened as the train went north. Tonks could hardly see anything outside, which remained a dark gray. The train rattled, and it began to slow down.

"We must be nearly there," said Ron, leaning forward to look past Professor Lupin at the now completely black window. The words had hardly left him when the train started to slow down.

"Great," said Ron, getting up and walking carefully past Professor Lupin to try and see outside. "I'm starving. I want to get to the feast..."

"We can't be there yet," said Hermione, checking her watch.

"So why're we stopping?"

Tonks gripped her wand, though she knew couldn't perform anything in front of them. She looked across from her at Lupin, wishing he would wake up soon. The train began to slow down even more.

Harry, who was nearest the door, got up to look into the corridor. The train came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness.

Tonks started to get up, but was push back down by someone. She held her wand out in front of her.

"What's going on?" said Ron's voice.

"Ouch!" gasped Hermione.

"Ron, that was my foot!"

"D'you think we've broken down?"

"Dunno..."

Tonks could see Ron in front of her where she sat near the window. He was peering out the window.

"There's something moving out there," Ron said. "I think people are coming aboard..."

Tonks's head snapped to the compartment door as it slid open and someone entered.

"Sorry! D'you know what's going on? Ouch! Sorry —"

"Hullo, Neville," Tonks heard Harry say.

"Harry? Is that you? What's happening?"

"No idea! Sit down -"

Tonks felt something heavy on her. "Not on me!" she yelled. The boy named Neville yelped and apologized.

"I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on," came Hermione's voice.

"Who's that?"

"Who's that?"

"Ginny?"

"Hermione?"

"What are you doing?"

"I was looking for Ron -"

"Who did I sit on?"

"Neville, that's Emily, she's new."

"Come in and sit down -"

"Not here!" said Harry hurriedly.

"I'm here!"

"Ouch!" said Neville.

"Quiet!" said a hoarse voice suddenly.

Everyone seemed to stop at the same time. Tonks looked in front of her, seeing the outline of Lupin, who finally seemed to have awakened. A shivering light filled up the room, and flames appeared in his hands, illuminating his face. Lupin looked tired, but his eyes were alert and weary.

"Stay where you are," he said in the same hoarse voice, and he got slowly to his feet with his handful of fire held out in front of him. The door slid open before he could open it.

Tonks's heart stopped. She felt cold, and she knew everyone else felt the same way. A Dementor appeared in the doorway. She saw Harry fall out of his seat, and she twitched to use her wand. Before she could, Lupin stepped forward, holding his wand out.

"None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go," he told the Dementor. The Dementor did not move, and Harry stayed seizing on the floor.

"Expecto Patronum," she heard him mutter under his breath and his Patronus came out of his wand. Tonks covered her eyes, but she could see the Dementor gliding away from their compartment.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note****: I'm not entirely happy with this chapter... It's more of a filler, really. Bear with me!**

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

* * *

The lights came back on and the train began to move again. Ron and Hermione kneeled by their friend, and everyone watched as Ron started to slap his friend.

"Harry! Harry! Are you all right?" Hermione called.

"W- what?" Harry croaked. His eyes opened, revealing his emerald orbs. Ron and Hermione heaved him back onto his seat.

"Are you okay?" Ron asked nervously.

"Yeah," said Harry, looking quickly toward the door.

"What happened? Where's that — that thing? Who screamed?"

"No one screamed," said Ron.

"But I heard screaming -"

A loud snap made them all jump. Tonks looked beside her, where Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces.

"Here," he said, handing Harry a large piece. "Eat it. It'll help."

"What was that thing?" he asked Lupin.

"A Dementor," said Lupin, who handed a piece to her and everyone else. "One of the Dementors of Azkaban."

Everyone stared at Lupin, watching as he crumpled the chocolate wrapper and put it in his pocket.

"Eat," he repeated. "It'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me..."

Tonks watched as he passed by Harry and into the corridor. She wondered what that had all been about. What screaming had Harry heard?

Tonks sat down, blocking out the others as they spoke, barely even noticing Lupin as he returned. She looked down at the chocolate in her hands, not so appetizing anymore.

* * *

The Hogwarts Express finally arrived at Hogsmeade station after what felt like hours to Tonks. She stepped onto the platform, letting out a breath of relief. She looked behind her, Harry, Ron, and Hermione scrambling to get out.

"Firs' years this way!" called a voice from over the crowd. Tonks smiled, recognizing a friendly voice. She turned, seeing Hagrid beckoning the terrified looking first years into a boat.

"All right, you three?" Hagrid yelled. Tonks frowned. She then remembered that he probably didn't know who she was.

The four got into a carriage and went off towards the castle. Tonks looked to Harry, who she noticed looked like he was about to vomit. He flushed some more, and Tonks saw why.

Two Dementors guarded the gates that surrounded the castle. The carriage finally came to a stop, they stepped down onto the school grounds. Tonks cursing to herself mentally when she almost tripped.

"You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottorn telling the truth? You actually fainted?"

Tonks watched as Draco Malfoy pushed pushed Hermione, blocking Harry from the stone steps. She recognized him as her cousin on the train and had to control herself from hitting him.

"Shove off, Malfoy," said Ron, glaring at the other boy.

"Did you faint as well, Weasley?" said Malfoy loudly. "Did the scary old Dementor frighten you too, Weasley?"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Didn't you say you heard screaming, Harry?" All eyes went to her. "I can't help but think I heard it too... sounded it a bit like you, Malfoy. High pitched and terrified."

Everyone except Draco and the other Slytherins laughed. Tonks expected to find him sneering at her, but was surprised when he was just staring at her instead.

"Is there a problem?" said a mild voice from behind her. Lupin had just gotten out of the next carriage. Malfoy gave Professor Lupin an insolent stare, eyeing his patched robes and battered case. Malfoy had returned to his old self, and with a tiny hint of sarcasm in his voice, he said, "Oh, no - er - Professor," then he smirked at Crabbe and Goyle and led them up the steps into the castle.

Everyone trotted up the stairs and into the castle. Tonks looked around the castle, taking in the school she had attended for seven years.

"Potter! Granger! I want to see you both!" Tonks heard Professor McGonagall over the crowd. She turned, along with a surprised Hermione and Harry, meeting eyes with the stern professor. Her old professor seemed to recognize her through her disguise. "You as well, miss!"

She saw Harry, whose expression resembled a child caught doing something wrong.

"There's no need to look so worried - I just want a word in my office," she told them. "Move along there, Weasley."

Professor McGonagall ushered the three of them down a path Tonks knew led to her office. It was a familiar place to her, being called there many various times.

They entered, where a fire was burning. McGonagall settled herself behind her desk and said abruptly, "Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say that you were taken ill on the train, Potter."

Before Harry could reply, there was a soft knock on the door and Madam Pomfrey, came bustling in. Tonks stood off to the side. She watched as Madam Pomfrey tended to Harry who did not seem to keen on being taken cared of.

"I'm fine," he said, "I don't need anything -"

"Oh, it's you, is it?" said Madam Pomfrey, ignoring this and bending down to stare closely at him. "I suppose you've been doing something dangerous again?"

Tonks had to keep herself from bursting out laughing. She had been a frequent visitor to the Hospital Wing, and that was something Madam Pomfrey had always said to her.

"It was a Dementor, Poppy," said Professor McGonagall.

Tonks saw the two women as they exchanged a dark look, and Madam Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly.

"Setting Dementors around a school," she muttered, pushing back Harry's hair and feeling his forehead. "He won't be the last one who collapses. Yes, he's all clammy. Terrible things, they are, and the effect they have on people who are already delicate -"

"I'm not delicate!" said Harry crossly.

"Of course you're not," said Madam Pomfrey absentmindedly, now taking his pulse.

"What does he need?" said Professor McGonagall crisply. "Bed rest? Should he perhaps spend tonight in the hospital wing?"

"I'm fine!" said Harry, jumping up.

"Well, he should have some chocolate, at the very least," said Madam Pomfrey, who was now trying to peer into Harry's eyes.

"I've already had some," said Harry. "Professor Lupin gave me some. He gave it to all of us."

"Did he, now?" said Madam Pomfrey approvingly. "So we've finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?"

"Are you sure you feel all right, Potter?" Professor McGonagall said sharply.

"Yes," said Harry.

"Very well. Kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger about her course schedule, then you can go down to the feast together. I will have to sort out miss...?"

"Emily Tonkson," Tonks answered.

"Yes, Miss Tonkson's house and course as well."

Harry went back into the corridor with Madam Pomfrey, who left for the hospital wing,

muttering to herself. Tonks waited a few minutes as Hermione and Professor McGonagall discussed Hermione's courses.

Tonks was surprised when McGonagall handed the young girl a time turner. She knew Hermione was smart, but to take all courses at once?How could someone possibly manage all that homework? The two finally seemed to agreed on something, and Hermione left her office, looking very happy.

"What exactly happened on the train, Nymphadora?" asked Professor McGonagall.

Tonks shrugged. "A Dementor found it's way onto the train. Exactly as Lupin reported. It made it's way to Harry... and... he fainted. Claimed to hear screaming."

"Is that all? But why on Earth were they there in the first place? They are only supposed to be guarding the school."

"I don't know... The rest of the Ministry is keeping everything quiet."

Tonks watched as her former teacher let out a deep breath. "Well, Miss Tonks. I assume you will be sorted into Gryffindor," Professor McGonagall said. Tonks nodded.

The professor got up from her seat, walking to Tonks and leading her out. "Let's get to the feast. It must have begun already."

Tonks walked with her down to the Great Hall, finding a sea of black robes. The feast had indeed begun, and hungry teens happily chatted away as they ate their supper. She sat at Gryffindor table, earning odd looks from the others. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat across from her, Ron already halfway finished with his plate.

"Emily! You're in Gryffindor?" Hermione asked, smiling at her new friend.

"Uh... yes. I was sorted in McGonagall's office," Tonks answered lamely. She looked down at her plate, where roast beef and mashed potatoes appeared.

Tonks silently ate her dinner, looking around at the other tables. She yearned to be at the Hufflepuff table, where she really belonged. was she really ready to respend her years at Hogwarts?


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

* * *

Tonks woke up the next morning in an unfamiliar room. She sat up quickly, grabbing a mirror on the drawer near her bed. Her morph had fallen.

She had gone to bed earlier, exhausted. The trio stayed in the common room, discussing whatever they were supposed to on the train. She decided to leave them alone, the boy needed some privacy, didn't he?

"At least I remembered to pull the curtains over," she muttered to herself. She looked down at the clothes she had worm to bed, which were straining against the bigger body. Luckily, she was able to morph into her disguise quickly just as the other girls were waking up.

Once her and Hermione were finished getting ready, they went down to the common room where Harry and Ron were waiting.

"What took you two so long? I'm staaaarving," said Ron, rubbing his stomach.

"Aren't you always, Ronald?" Hermione asked. She and Ron walked ahead, arguing back and forth, leaving Harry and Tonks behind.

Tonks looked over to the black haired boy beside her, not knowing what to say. What exactly did you talk about with The Boy Who Lived?

"I- er- didn't get to thank you for sticking up to Malfoy for me. He must already hate you, and he doesn't even know you," Harry said awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. This was the first conversation between the both of them.

"It was no problem. He's a git," Tonks told him, giving him a reassuring smile. Harry grinned back.

Ron and Hermione waited at the entrance of the Great Hall and entered together, where the first thing they saw was Draco Malfoy, who seemed to be entertaining a large group of Slytherins with a very funny story. As they passed, Malfoy did a ridiculous impression of a swooning fit and there was a roar of laughter.

"Ignore him,"said Hermione, who was on the other side of Harry. "Just ignore him, it's not worth it..."

"Hey, Potter!" shrieked a Slytherin girl.. "Potter! The Dementors are coming, Potter! Woooooooooo!"

These Slytherins were starting to get on Tonks's nerves. Unfortunately, the girl, who had a face like a pug, had spotted her.

"Who's that, Potter? Your new girlfriend? What happened to Granger? That's odd, are you sure she's not a Dementor? She looks like those ugly things!"

They ignored her, dropping into their seats at Gryffindor table. Tonks sat next to Fred, across from Hermione.

"New third-year course schedules,"said George, passing them over. She had been introduced to him and his twin, Fred. "What's up with you, Harry? Emily?"

"Malfoy," said Ron, sitting down on George's other side and glaring over at the Slytherin table.

"And Pansy," Hermione angrily chipped in.

"That little git," he said calmly. "He wasn't so cocky last night when the Dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he, Fred? All those Slytherins were bloody terrified."

"Nearly wet themselves," said who Fred.

"I wasn't too happy myself," said George. "They're horrible things, those Dementors..."

"Sort of freeze your insides, don't they?" said Fred.

"You didn't pass out, though, did you?" said Harry in a low voice.

"Forget it, Harry," said George bracingly. "Dad had to go out to Azkaban one time, remember, Fred? And he said it was the worst place he'd ever been, he came back all weak and shaking...They suck the happiness out of a place, Dementors. Most of the prisoners go mad in there."

"Anyway, we'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match," said Fred.

"Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?"

Harry looked to Tonks. "What about you, Emily? Will you be joining the team?"

Tonks shrugged. "Not sure. I love Quidditch, I'm just too clumsy to play."

"Finally, a girl who knows Quidditch," Ron said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Who's your favorite-"

"Ooh, good, we're starting some new subjects today," Hermione said happily, looking down at her schedule.

"Hermione," said Ron, frowning as he looked over her shoulder, "they've messed up your

timetable. Look - they've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough time."

Tonks leaned forward. Ron was right- there were subjects bunched up all over the place.

"I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

"But look," said Ron, laughing, "see this morning? Nine o'clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. And -" Ron leaned closer to the timetable, disbelieving, "look- underneath that, Arithmancy, nine o'clock. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's that good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?"

"Don't be silly," said Hermione shortly. "Of course I won't be in three classes at once."

Tonks laughed, earning herself a glare from Hermione. Apparently, she was the only one who knew about the time turner.

"Well then -"

"Pass the marmalade," said Hermione.

"But -"

"Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my timetable's a bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

Just then, Hagrid entered the Great Hall. He was wearing his long moleskin overcoat and was absent-mindedly swinging a dead polecat from one enormous hand.

"All righ'?" he said eagerly, pausing on his way to the staff table. "Yer in my firs' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five getting' everthin' ready... hope it's okay... me, a teacher... hones'ly..."

He grinned broadly at them and headed off to the staff table, still swinging the polecat.

"Wonder what he's been getting ready?" said Ron, a note of anxiety in his voice.

The Hall was starting to empty as people headed off towards their first lesson. Ron checked his schedule.

"We'd better go, look, Divination's at the top of North Tower. It'll take us ten minutes to get

there..."

They finished breakfast hastily, said goodbye to Fred and George and walked back through the hall. As they passed the Slytherin table, Malfoy did yet another impression of a fainting fit. The shouts of laughter followed them into the Entrance Hall.

The journey through the castle to North Tower wasn't a long one, though Tonks knew it could have been shorter. She had "suggested" many corridors that eventually got them to the North Tower. If she hadn't been there, she was sure they would have been lost.

Divination turned out to be as boring as it had been in Tonks's school years. Professor Trelawney hadn't changed at all and had managed to make ridiculous predictions. She was told that she would be meeting someone very hairy, which earned a laugh from everyone else. One prediction had bothered her- Harry's.

Harry sat at the back of the room in Transfiguration, Tonks taking a seat not too far. She saw everyone shooting him glances, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for him at that moment. No one was paying attention, not even watching as Professor McGonagall transformed herself into her Animagus.

"Really, what has got into you all today?" said Professor McGonagall, turning back into herself with a faint pop, and staring around at them all. "Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's not got applause from a class."

Everybody's heads turned toward Harry again, but nobody spoke. Then Hermione raised her hand.

"Please, Professor, we've just had our first Divination class, and we were reading the tea leaves, and -"

"Ah, of course," said Professor McGonagall, suddenly frowning. "There is no need to say any more, Miss Granger. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"

Everyone stared at her.

"Me," said Harry, finally.

"I see," said Professor McGonagall, fixing Harry with her beady eyes. "Then you should know, Potter, that Sybill Trelawney has predicted the death of one student a year since she arrived at this school. None of them has died yet. Seeing death omens is her favorite way of greeting a new class. If it were not for the fact that I never speak ill of my colleagues -" Professor McGonagall broke off, and they saw that her nostrils had gone white. She went on, more calmly, "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic. I shall not conceal from you that I have very little patience with it. True Seers are very rare, and Professor Trelawney..."

She stopped again, and then said, in a very matter-of-fact tone, "You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in."

Hermione and Tonks laughed. It was one of the rare time McGonagall joked. Harry seemed a bit better, but not everyone was convinced, however. Ron still looked worried, and the girl Tonks learned was named Lavender whispered, "But what about Neville's cup?"

When the Transfiguration class had finished, they joined the crowd thundering toward the Great Hall for lunch.

"Ron, cheer up," said Hermione, pushing a dish of stew toward him. "You heard what Professor McGonagall said."

Ron spooned stew onto his plate and picked up his fork but didn't start.

"Harry," he said, in a low, serious voice, "You haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?"

"Yeah, I have," said Harry. "I saw one the night I left the Dursleys'." Ron let his fork fall with a clatter, and Tonks sucked in her breath.

"Probably a stray," said Hermione calmly. Ron looked at Hermione as though she had gone mad.

"Hermione, if Harry's seen a Grim, that's - that's bad," he said. "My- my uncle Bilius saw one and- and he died twenty-four hours later!"

"Coincidence," said Hermione airily, pouring herself some pumpkin juice.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" said Ron, starting to get angry. "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!" He turned to Tonks. "You've heard stories about the Grim, haven't you?"

"I- not really."

"There you are, then," said Hermione in a superior tone. "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death! And Harry's still with us because he's not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, I'd better kick the bucket then!"

Ron mouthed wordlessly at Hermione, who opened her bag, took out her new Arithmancy book, and propped it open against the juice jug.

"I think Divination seems very woolly," Hermione said, searching for her page. "A lot of guesswork, if you ask me."

"There was nothing woolly about the Grim in that cup!" said Ron hotly.

"You didn't seem quite so confident when you were telling Harry it was a sheep," said Hermione coolly.

"Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura! You just don't like being bad at something for a change!"

He had touched a nerve. Hermione slammed her Arithmancy book down on the table so hard that bits of meat and carrot flew everywhere.

"If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared with my Arithmancy class!"

She snatched up her bag and stalked away. Ron frowned after her.

"What's she talking about?" he said to Harry. "She hasn't been to an Arithmancy class yet." He looked to Tonks in question.

"Let her be, Ron," she told him. She didn't know what else to say.

"Whatever," he muttered as he finished his lunch, "she's bloody mental."


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

* * *

After lunch, they had Care of Magical Creatures. It had been disastrous and a little hilarious as Draco cried like a little girl. Tonks felt something that felt like pity inside her, but it HAD been his fault. She was more worried about Hagrid. She knew the Malfoys were powerful people, and they would do anything to get back at Hagrid.

They had gone down to Hagrid's, which she shouldn't have allowed. She was introduced to the half giant, though he didn't seem to have any clue who she really was. Of course, he had ended up dragging them back to the castle, not risking his job even more. She couldn't blame him.

Malfoy didn't reappear in classes until late on Thursday morning, when the Slytherins and Gryffindors were halfway through double Potions. He swaggered into the dungeon, his right arm covered in bandages and bound up in a sling, acting, as though he were the heroic survivor of some dreadful battle. Tonks had to keep herself from laughing.

"How is it, Draco?" simpered Pansy Parkinson. "Does it hurt much?"

"Yeah," said Malfoy, putting on a brave sort of grimace. But Harry saw him wink at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy had looked away.

"Settle down, settle down," said Professor Snape idly.

Harry and Ron scowled at each other; Snape wouldn't have said 'settle down' if they'd walked in late, he'd have given them detention. But Malfoy had always been able to get away with anything in Snape's classes; Snape was head of Slytherin House, and generally favored his own students above all others.

They were making a simple potion today, a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy set up his cauldron right next to Harry and Ron, so that they were preparing their ingredients on the same table. Tonks was next to Hermione, who unfortunately took up the seats in from of Malfoy.

"Sir," Malfoy called, "sir, I'll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because of my arm -"

"Tonkson, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," said Snape without looking up.

Tonks glared at the professor. He knew her true identity, which really wasn't hard to guess. She had made up a last name that wasn't hard to remember. Since she had entered his class, he had treated her the same way he had in her school years.

Tonks turned around, getting to cutting up his roots. She didn't dare look up, not wanting for him to speak to her.

"There's nothing wrong with your arm," Ron hissed at Malfoy from across.

Malfoy did not answer back to their shock.

"And, sir, I'll need this shrivelfig skinned," said Malfoy, his voice missing the usual malicious attitude.

"Tonkson," said Snape. Tonks looked to her former professor, who seemed to have a ghost of a smirk on his face. She wanted to hex him on the spot.

"Your arm is obviously healed. You must not be very bright if can't even make your own potion, Malfoy," Harry told him. Tonks wanted to smile.

"Seen your pal Hagrid lately?" he asked them quietly.

"None of your business," said Ron jerkily, without looking up.

"I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer," said Malfoy in a tone of mock sorrow.

"Father's not very happy about my injury -"

"Keep talking, Malfoy, and I'll give you a real injury," snarled Ron.

"- he's complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, you know. And a lasting injury like this" - he gave a huge, fake sigh - "who knows if my arm'll ever be the same again?"

"So that's why you're putting it on," said Harry, accidentally beheading a dead caterpillar because his hand was shaking in anger, "To try to get Hagrid fired."

Tonks had been right. She knew her 'family' after all.

"Well," said Malfoy, lowering his voice to a whisper, "partly, Potter. But there are other benefits too. Weasley, slice my caterpillars for me."

"Do it yourself," Ron said. "And don't even get Emily to do it for you."

A few cauldrons away, Neville was in trouble. Neville didn't seem to do very well in Potions, and Snape wasn't helping at all. His potion, which was supposed to be a bright, acid green, had turned orange instead.

"Orange, Longbottom," said Snape, ladling some up and allowing to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see.

"Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one cat spleen was needed? Didn't I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?"

Neville was pink and trembling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears. Tonks felt sorry for the boy. "Please, sir," said Hermione, "please, I could help Neville put it right -"

"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville. "Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly."

Snape moved away, leaving Neville breathless with fear.

"Maybe of you actually taught him, he'd get it right," Tonks muttered. Unfortunately, she muttered it a bit too loud, just enough for Snape to hear.

"What was that, Miss Tonkson?" Snape asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing, sir," she said sweetly. "Just wanted to say that your an amazing professor. How do you get your hair so... so greasy?"

It was quiet, and there was only the sound of potions bubbling in their cauldrons. She could feel all the eyes on her, but she only stared straight into Snape's black pits.

There seemed to be hatred burning inside of them. His jaw was clenched and his hands were in fists. He was definitely holding in his anger.

She had done it. She knew she shouldn't have, but what could he possibly do? She was on a mission here and had to be there no matter what. She had never had the audacity to do say those thing when she was a student. But she was an adult now, he couldn't suspend her. When Snape finally spoke, it was quiet. As quiet as someone possibly could be.

"Fifty points for Gryffindor. And detention for a month, Miss Tonkson."

Everything seemed to go back to normal after that. Tonks stayed quiet, listening to the others as they spoke out loud.

Apparently, Siri- Black was spotter close to the school. What did that mean? And did Harry really think he could catch Black? She spent the rest of the class finishing her potion, while Hermione next to her helped Neville on his.

The end of the lesson in sight, Snape strode over to Neville, who was cowering by his cauldron. "Everyone gather 'round," said Snape, his black eyes glittering, "and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned."

The Gryffindors watched fearfully. The Slytherins looked excited. Snape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand and dipped a small spoon into Neville's potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevor's throat.

There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape's palm.

The Gryffindors burst into applause. Tonks smiled, cheering in the inside. Snape, looking sour, pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor, and he reappeared suddenly, fully grown.

"Five points from Gryffindor," said Snape, which wiped the smiles from every face. "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Tonks climbed the steps to the entrance hall.

"Five points from Gryffindor because the potion was all right! Why didn't you lie, Hermione? You should've said Neville did it all by himself!"

Hermione didn't answer. Ron looked around.

"Where is she?"

Harry and Tonks turned too. They were at the top of the steps now, watching the rest of the class pass them, heading for the Great Hall and lunch.

"She was right behind us," said Ron, frowning.

Malfoy passed them, walking between Crabbe and Goyle. He smirked at Harry and disappeared. "There she is," said Harry.

Hermione was panting slightly, hurrying up the stairs; one hand clutched her bag, the other  
seemed to be tucking what Tonks suspected was the timeturner down the front of her robes.

"How did you do that?" said Ron.

"What?" said Hermione, joining them.

"One minute you were right behind us, the next moment, you were back at the bottom of the  
stairs again."

"What?" Hermione looked slightly confused. "Oh - I had to go back for something. Oh no -" Tonks looked down at her bag where a seam had split. She could see that it was crammed with at least a dozen large and heavy books.

"Why are you carrying all these around with you?" Ron asked her.

"You know how many subjects I'm taking," said Hermione breathlessly. "Couldn't hold these  
for me, could you?"

"But -" Ron was turning over the books she had handed him, looking at the covers. "You  
haven't got any of these subjects today. It's only Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon."

"Oh yes," said Hermione vaguely, but she packed all the books back into her bag just the same. "I hope there's something good for lunch, I'm starving," she added, and she marched off toward the Great Hall.

"D'you get the feeling Hermione's not telling us something?" Ron asked Harry and Tonks.

"She's just got a lot on her mind. Leave her alone, Ron," Tonks told the red head. They had entered the Great Hall, where the smell of food filled their noses. They took their seats near Hermione, who already had a plate in front of her.

"That was bloody amazing in Potions, Emily!" Ron said, taking a big bite out of his chicken wing. "I've never seen Snape that angry!"

Tonks blushed. "I really don't know where that came from."

"I don't care. It was the best thing I've ever seen."

* * *

Lupin wasn't there when they arrived at the DADA all sat down, took out their books, quills, and parchment, and were talking when he finally entered the room. Lupin smiled vaguely and placed his tatty old briefcase on the teacher's desk. He was shabby as ever but looked healthier than he had on the train, as though he had had a few square meals.

"Good afternoon," he said. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."

A few curious looks were exchanged as the class put away their books. Tonks was becoming giddy with excitement. Practical lessons were much better than textbook ones.

"Right then," said Professor Lupin, when everyone was ready. "If you'd follow me."

They followed the professor out of the classroom. He led them along the deserted corridor and around a corner, where the first thing they saw was Peeves the Poltergeist. Lupin had done a spell that shot gum up Peeves's nose, making Tonks like him even more.

They came to the staffroom, a long, paneled room full of old, mismatched chairs and was empty except for one teacher. Snape was sitting in a low armchair, and he looked around as the class filed in. His eyes were glittering and there was a nasty sneer playing around his mouth. As Lupin came in and made to close the door behind him, Snape said, "Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this." He got to his feet and strode past the class, his black robes billowing behind him. At the doorway he turned on his heel and said, "Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear. Our new student, Miss Tonkson, also seems to have a problem when it comes to respect for her teachers."

Neville went scarlet. Tonks glared at Snape. She did not mind herself being bullied, but to bully Neville as well?

To her surprise, Lupin had raised his eyebrows.

"I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation," he said, "and I am sure he will perform it admirably." Neville's face went, if possible, even redder. "As for Emily... I've just met her, haven't I?"

Tonks felt herself blush. Snape's lip curled, but he left, shutting the door with a snap.

"Now, then," said Professor Lupin, beckoning the class toward the end of the room, where there was nothing but an old wardrobe where the teachers kept their spare robes. As Lupin went to stand next to it, the wardrobe gave a sudden wobble, banging off the wall. Tonks knew had a strong suspicion of what was in it.

"Nothing to worry about," said Lupin calmly because a few people had jumped backward in alarm. "There's a Boggart in there."

Most people seemed to feel that this was something to worry about. Neville gave Professor Lupin a look of pure terror, and Seamus Finnigan eyed the now rattling doorknob apprehensively.

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," said Professor Lupin. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks - I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice.

"So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a Boggart?"

Hermione put up her hand.

"It's a shape-shifter," she said. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," said Professor Lupin, and Hermione glowed. "So the  
Boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a Boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears.

"This means," said Lupin, choosing to ignore Neville's small sputter of terror, "that we have a huge advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"

"Er - because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?"

"Precisely," said Lupin, and Hermione put her hand down, looking a little disappointed. Tonks smiled at her friend. "It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a Boggart. He becomes confused. Which should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a Boggart make that very mistake - tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening.

"The charm that repels a Boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a Boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing.

"We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please...Riddikulus!"

"Riddikulus!" said the class together.

"Good," said Professor Lupin. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this is where you come in, Neville."

The wardrobe shook again, though not as much as Neville, who walked forward as though he were heading for the gallows.

"Right, Neville," said Professor Lupin. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"

Neville's lips moved, but no noise came out.

"I didn't catch that, Neville, sorry," said Professor Lupin cheerfully.

Neville looked around rather wildly, as though begging someone to help him, then said, in  
barely more than a whisper, "Professor Snape."

Nearly everyone laughed. Even Neville grinned apologetically. Tonks smiled sadly. Professor Lupin, however, looked thoughtful.

"Professor Snape... hmmm... Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Er - yes," said Neville nervously. "But - I don't want the Boggart to turn into her either."

"No, no, you misunderstand me," said Lupin, now smiling. "I wonder, could you tell  
us what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears?"

Neville looked startled, but said, "Well...always the same hat. A tall one with a stuffed vulture on top. And a long dress...green, normally...and sometimes a fox-fur scarf."

"And a handbag?" prompted Professor Lupin.

"A big red one," said Neville.

"Right then," said Professor Lupin. "Can you picture those clothes very clearly, Neville? Can you see them in your mind's eye?"

"Yes," said Neville uncertainty, plainly wondering what was coming next.

"When the Boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Professor Snape," said Lupin. "And you will raise your wand - thus - and cry 'Riddikulus' - and concentrate hard on your grandmother's clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, and that green dress, with that big red handbag."

There was a great shout of laughter. The wardrobe wobbled more violently. Even Tonks burst into laughter, imagining Snape.

"If Neville is successful, the Boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn," said Professor Lupin. "I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical..."

The room went quiet. Tonks thought about her Boggart. It had been a while since she had last encountered one... Could it have changed? She looked around, seeing everyone's eyes shut tight. She saw Harry- could Voldemort possibly appear in front of them?

"Everyone ready?" said Lupin.

"Neville, we're going to back away," said Professor Lupin. "Let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward...Everyone back, now, so Neville can get a clear shot -"

They all retreated, backed against the walls, leaving Neville alone beside the wardrobe. He looked pale and frightened, but he had pushed up the sleeves of his robes and was holding his wand ready.

"On the count of three, Neville," said Professor Lupin, who was pointing his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe. "One — two — three —now!"

A jet of sparks shot from the end of Professor Lupin's wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. Hook-nosed and menacing, Professor Snape stepped out, his eyes flashing at Neville.

Neville backed away, his wand up, mouthing wordlessly. Snape was bearing down upon him, reaching inside his robes.

"R - r - Riddikulus!" squeaked Neville.

There was a noise like a whip crack. Snape stumbled; he was wearing a long, lace-trimmed dress and a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture, and he was swinging a huge crimson handbag. There was a roar of laughter; the Boggart paused, confused, and Professor Lupin shouted, "Parvati! Forward!"

Parvati walked forward, her face set. Snape rounded on her. There was another crack, and where he had stood was a bloodstained, bandaged mummy; its sightless face was turned to Parvati and it began to walk toward her very slowly, dragging its feet, its stiff arms rising -

"Riddikulus!" cried Parvati.

A bandage unraveled at the mummy's feet; it became entangled, fell face forward, and its head rolled off.

"Seamus!" roared Professor Lupin.

Seamus darted past Parvati.

Crack! Where the mummy had been was a woman with floorlength black hair and a skeletal,  
green-tinged face - a banshee. Tonks winced, having her own experiences with them. The banshee opened her mouth wide and an unearthly sound filled the room with a long, wailing shriek.

"Riddikulus!" shouted Seamus.

The banshee made a rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone.

Crack! The banshee turned into a rat, which chased its tail in a circle, then - crack! - became a rattlesnake, which slithered and writhed before - crack! - becoming a single, bloody eyeball.

"It's confused!" shouted Lupin. "We're getting there! Dean!"

Dean hurried forward.

Crack! The eyeball became a severed hand, which flipped over and began to creep along the floor like a crab.

"Riddikulus!" yelled Dean.

There was a snap, and the hand was trapped in a mousetrap.

"Excellent! Ron, you next!"

Ron leapt forward.

Crack!

Quite a few people screamed. A giant spider, six feet tall and covered in hair, was advancing on Ron, clicking its pincers menacingly. For a moment, Harry thought Ron had frozen. Then - "Riddikulus!" bellowed Ron, and the spider's legs vanished; it rolled over and over; Lavender Brown squealed and ran out of its way and it came to a halt at Tonks's feet.

"Emily! You're up!"

Tonks watched the spider-turned-ball change into her worst fear.

It was a lady, and not just any lady -

"Bellatrix Lestrange," she heard Neville whisper from behind her. The woman who had cursed his parents into insanity.

She felt her insides freeze as the woman laid eyes on her. Tonks raised her wand, but the spell did not come out of her mouth. She resembled her own mother so much.

"Emily, say the incantation," Lupin said.

Tonks shook her head, her hand was shaking. "Ri- RIDDIKULUS!"

There was a snap, and Bellatrix appeared in a clown costume, earning a few chuckles. Harry stepped up next. He raised his wand, ready, but -

"Here!" shouted Lupin suddenly, hurrying forward. Crack!

Bellatrix the clown had vanished. For a second, everyone looked wildly around to see where she was. Then they saw a silvery-white orb hanging in the air in front of Lupin, who said, "Riddikulus!" almost lazily.

Crack!

"Forward, Neville, and finish him off!" said Lupin as the Boggart landed on the floor as a cockroach. Crack! Snape was back. This time Neville charged forward looking determined.

"Riddikulus!" he shouted, and they had a split second's view of Snape in his lacy dress before Neville let out a great "Ha!" of laughter, and the Boggart exploded, burst into a thousand tiny wisps of smoke, and was gone.

"Excellent!" cried Professor Lupin as the class broke into applause. "Excellent, Neville. Well done, everyone... Let me see... five points to Gryffindor for every person to tackle the Boggart - ten for Neville because he did it twice... and five each to Hermione and Harry."

"But I didn't do anything," said Harry.

"You and Hermione answered my questions correctly at the start of the class, Harry," Lupin said lightly. "Very well, everyone, an excellent lesson. Homework, kindly read the chapter on Boggarts and summarize it for me... It will be handed in on Monday. That will be all."

Talking excitedly, the class left the staffroom.

"Did you see me take that banshee?" shouted Seamus.

"And the hand!" said Dean, waving his own around.

"And Snape in that hat!"

"And my mummy!"

"I wonder why Professor Lupin's frightened of crystal balls?" said Lavender thoughtfully.

"That was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson we've ever had, wasn't it?" said Ron excitedly as they made their way back to the classroom to get their bags. Tonks smiled. It was definitely the best she's had.

"He seems like a very good teacher," said Hermione approvingly, and Tonks agreed. "But I wish I could have had a turn with the Boggart -"

"What would it have been for you?" said Ron, sniggering. "A piece of homework that only got nine out of ten?"

Tonks laughed, making Hermione pout. "It would not!" she argued.

Tonks looked to Harry, who didn't seem to be listening. Then she thought of Lupin. Why would someone be afraid of the moon?


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1****.**

* * *

A few days later, Tonks found herself wandering through the corridors alone, due for her first detention of many. Lucky enough for her, Dumbledore had managed to get her out of serving it with Filch or Snape. She found herself at the door of her new favorite class.

Tonks knocked on the door, Lupin's voice coming from the other side. "Come in," he said. When Tonks entered, she found the classroom to be empty, except for Lupin himself.

Remus Lupin was sat at his desk, checking off what looked to be homework. He looked up, giving her a warm smile. "Hello there, Emily," he pointed to a desk in the front, "take a seat."

Tonks walked down the classroom aisle bashfully, taking the seat directly in front of him. She placed her bag on the floor, looking at him expectantly. "What... What do I do?"

Professor Lupin placed his quill down, raising an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?"

"Don't I have any detention stuff to do? Writing lines?"

"You are who Dumbledore has told us about, aren't you?"

"I guess so..."

"Well," he smirked at her, "then you don't really need to do that. You aren't really a student, are you?"

"I guess not."

Tonks looked down at her fingers. When she raised her eyes to Lupin again, she was surprised to see that he was staring at her inquisitively. "What?" she asked, hoping not too rudely.

"I was just wondering... How do you keep your disguise? I assume you are in one. Polyjuice wears off very quickly," he said, looking at her curiously.

"I'm a Metamorphmagus," she told him. It seemed to spark a bitty of curiosity in a eyes, which were a nice shade of amber.

"Really?" He leaned forward, wanting to hear more. "That's very interesting. So this is not your true forms?"

Tonks snorted, then blushed wildly. Why did she always have to embarrass herself? Lupin smiled. "No," said Tonks. She turned to look at the door. "Will anybody else be coming?" Lupin shook his head, indicating for her to go on.

Tonks closed her eyes, the familiar feeling of herself morphing coming over. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised not to see the look of astonishment that so commonly appeared on people's faces. Instead, the professor looked thoughtful.

"That's a very interesting color," he said, laughter in his voice. Tonks smiled, knowing her hair was her usual bubblegum pink.

"I like to think of it as my natural color." He chuckled. Tonks liked how easy it was for the two of them to joke around, especially now that she was in her natural body,

"It suits you very much, Miss Tonkson," he said, smiling.

"Tonks," she said. "Nymphadora Tonks. But please just call me Tonks, my first name is horrid."

"Nymphadora," Lupin said, testing it out on his tongue. "I think it's a very nice name."

Tonks sent him a glare. "Tonks. Only my mother calls me that."

"Andromeda?" Remus asked, surprising Tonks.

"Yeah," she replied, "You know my mother?"

"Yes, a long time ago," he seemed to be remembering something, "I've gone to babysit a few times... you were only about seven. I was friends with..."

Sirius. It was an unspoken name between the two.

Tonks was shocked. He had babysat her? That was why his name had sounded so familiar.

Lupin moved on. "Well, it's nice to see you again," he said, and she smiled.

"You too," she answered.

* * *

A couple weeks later, Tonks was given a note. It was a pass to be at the teacher's tounge after curfew that night, signed by Dumbledore himself. Odd, she thought.

She arrived at the designated room a little later than stated, being asked questions by the other girls in her dorm. Tonks had run out of the room, ignoring Hermione's calls.

Thankfully, Filch had not caught her roaming around. Even with note, he was still sure to give you detention. Tonks looked at the closed door, wondering why she was needed. She knocked, jumping a little when the door swung open.

Inside the room where they had had their first Boggart lesson, now had a large oak table in it. Why hadn't it occurred to her that a meeting would be happening? She shrunk a little when all the professors turned their eyes towards her. She stood in the doorway, feeling herself go red.

"Ah, hello, Miss Tonkson. I am glad to see that you have received my note," said Dumbledore from the head. "Please come in."

Tonks walked inside, closing the door after her. She stayed standing there, on display in front of everyone.

"Wha's Emily doin' here, Albus?" Hagrid asked, clearly confused. He still hadn't guessed who she was. Now that she thought about it, only McGonagall, Snape, and Lupin were the teachers who had figured it out.

"Well, I have told you all that an Auror would be watching over our students. And indeed, here she is," Dumbledore smiled to Tonks. "Miss Tonks, if you may."

Tonks was confused at first, but then realized he was allowing her to change back. She closed her eyes, hearing a few gasps when she finally changed. When she opened her eyes, she saw dawns of realization on several of their faces. How had they not known?

"I assume you remember Miss Tonks. She is currently in her third year of Auror training and has gladly accepted the role of an undercover student."

Tonks blushed, staring down at her feet. She dared to look up, meeting familiar amber eyes. He winked.

"Albus," Snape said in his low long drawl, "is it wise to put a barely qualified Auror, hardly out of school, in charge of the safety of all our students? From what I can remember, she could barely go a day without tipping over a cauldron." Tonks glared, thought he ignored this.

"I believe Nymphadora is a very talented witch and has been doing a great job," Dumbledore said.

Snape did not speak after that. The meeting went on, Tonks having to explain happenings within the students. She did not have much to put in, though she left out the part where Snape was a terrible git.

* * *

Her month of detentions were finally over, which she missed a lot. He was great to talk to, and they had become fast friends. As much as she missed those after school meetings, this meant she could fioverly watched over Harry more.

Tonks caught up with him after practice one evening. She had been watching in the stands, which she knew was probably creepy. From what she's seen, Harry was a fantastic flyer and an even better Seeker. He had caught the snitch every time.

Harry smiled when he saw her. She had marveled at how close friends they had become, despite knowing her age difference. "You didn't have to wait," he said.

"I know," was all she said. They walked up the everchanging stairs, towards the Gryffindor Common room.

"Why don't you try out?" he asked. "I haven't seen you fly, but you always watch during practice."

Tonks shook her head. "No, I might fall off the broom or something!" This made him laugh, which he hardly seemed to do. They entered the the Common room, seeing that Ron and Hermione were already there.

"What's happened?" Harry asked them, who were sitting in two of the best chairs by the fireside and completing some star charts for Astronomy.

"First Hogsmeade weekend," said Ron, pointing at a notice that had appeared on the battered old bulletin board. "End of October. Halloween."

"Excellent," said Fred, who had followed Harry and Tonks through the portrait hole. "I need to visit Zonko's. I'm nearly out of Stink Pellets."

Harry threw himself into a chair beside Ron, while Tonks sat near Hermione.

"Harry, I'm sure you'll be able to go next time," she said. "They're bound to catch Black soon. He's been sighted once already."

"Black's not fool enough to try anything in Hogsmeade," said Ron. "Ask McGonagall if you can go this time, Harry. The next one might not be for ages —"

"Ron!" said Hermione. "Harry's supposed to stay in school —"

"He can't be the only third year left behind," said Ron. "Ask McGonagall, go on, Harry —"

"Yeah, I think I will," said Harry, making up his mind.

"You won't be the only third year," Tonks told them, "I'm not going either."

"WHAT?" Ron asked, outraged. "You two can't NOT go! Em, just ask McGonagall for a slip and send it to your dad, and Harry— "

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but at that moment Crookshanks leapt lightly onto her lap. A large, dead spider was dangling from his mouth.

"Does he have to eat that in front of us?" said Ron, scowling.

"Clever Crookshanks, did you catch that all by yourself?" said Hermione. Crookshanks; slowly chewed up the spider, his yellow eyes fixed insolently on Ron.

"Just keep him over there, that's all," said Ron irritably, turning back to his star chart. "I've got Scabbers asleep in my bag."

Tonks saw Harry take out his Astrology work, and she did the same.

"You can copy mine, if you like," said Ron, labeling his last star with a flourish and offering the chart between the two of them.

Hermione, who disapproved of copying, pursed her lips but didn't say anything. Crookshanks was still staring unblinkingly at Ron, flicking the end of his bushy tail. Then, without warning, he pounced.

"Oi!" Ron roared, seizing his bag as Crookshanks sank four sets of claws deep inside it and began tearing ferociously. "GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!"

Ron tried to pull the bag away from Crookshanks, but Crookshanks clung on, spitting and slashing.

"Ron, don't hurt him!" squealed Hermione; the whole common room was watching; Ron whirled the bag around, Crookshanks still clinging to it, and Scabbers came flying out of the top —

"CATCH THAT CAT!" Ron yelled as Crookshanks freed himself from the remnants of the bag, sprang over the table, and chased after the terrified Scabbers. Tonks and Harry stayed in their seats, watching. They were trying to control their laughter.

George Weasley made a lunge for Crookshanks but missed; Scabbers streaked through twenty pairs of legs and shot beneath an old chest of drawers. Crookshanks skidded to a halt, crouched low on his bandy legs, and started making furious swipes beneath it with his front paw.

Ron and Hermione hurried over; Hermione grabbed Crookshanks around the middle and heaved him away; Ron threw himself onto his stomach and, with great difficulty, pulled Scabbers out by the tail.

"Look at him!" he said furiously to Hermione, dangling Scabbers in front of her. "He's skin and bone! You keep that cat away from him!"

"Crookshanks doesn't understand it's wrong!" said Hermione, her voice shaking. "All cats chase rats, Ron!"

"There's something funny about that animal!" said Ron, who was trying to persuade a frantically wiggling Scabbers back into his pocket. "It heard me say that Scabbers was in my bag!"

"Oh, what rubbish," said Hermione impatiently. "Crookshanks could smell him, Ron, how else d'you think —"

"That cat's got it in for Scabbers!" said Ron, ignoring the people around him, who were starting to giggle. "And Scabbers was here first, and he's ill!"

Ron marched through the common room and out of sight up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Hermione snatched up her bag and her homework, storming up to the girls' dorms.

Harry and Tonks were left out their alone, as everyone started to settle back into what they were doing previously. They turned to each other, bursting into laughter again. They clutched their stomachs, trying to calm down.

"And he says SHE's mental," Harry said between laughs. Tonks could just agree.


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

* * *

Tonks walked down to the Common room Halloween morning watching everyone in a frenzy. It was the first Hogsmeade visit. She saw the trio, Hermione and Ron trying to cheer up their friend. They caught sight of her approaching them, looking at her with pity.

"We'll bring you both lots of sweets back from Honeydukes," said Hermione.

"Yeah, loads," said Ron. He and Hermione had finally forgotten their squabble about Crookshanks. I hadn't thought much about Hogsmeade, but unlike Harry, I've been there lots of times,

"Don't worry about us," said Harry, "We'll see you at the feast. Have a good time."

We accompanied them to the entrance hall, where Filch was standing inside the front doors, checking off names against a long list, peering suspiciously into every face, and making sure that no one was sneaking out who shouldn't be going.

"Staying here, Potter?" shouted Malfoy, who was standing in line with Crabbe and Goyle. "Scared of passing the Dementors?"

Harry and Tonks ignored him. Want to head back to the Common room?" Harry asked. I nodded, and we made our way back up.

"Password?" said the Fat Lady, jerking out of a doze.

"Fortuna Major," answered Harry.

The portrait swung open, and we climbed through the hole into the common room. It was full of chattering first-and second-years, and a few older students, who had obviously visited Hogsmeade so often the novelty had worn off.

"Harry! Harry! Hi, Harry!"

It was Colin Creevey, a second year who seemed deeply in awe of Harry. Tonks stood beside him, watching the second-year enthusiastically speak to Harry.

"Aren't you going to Hogsmeade, Harry? Why not? Hey —" Colin looked eagerly around at his friends — "you can come and sit with us, if you like, Harry!"

"Er — no, thanks, Colin," said Harry. "I — Emily and I got to go to the library, got to get some work done."

Tonks waved to the second-year and followed Harry back out of the portrait hole. Harry and Tonks wandered toward the library, but halfway there he stopped suddenly.

"Do you actually want to do work?" Tonks asked him. Harry shook his head. When they turned around, Filch was standing face-to-face with them.

"What are you two doing?" Filch snarled suspiciously.

"Nothing," said Harry truthfully. Tonks nodded her head in agreement.

"Nothing!" spat Filch. "A likely story! Sneaking around — why aren't you in Hogsmeade buying Stink Pellets and Belch Powder and Whizzing Worms like the rest of your nasty little friends?"

Harry shrugged, while Tonks stared.

"Well, get back to your common room where you belong!" snapped Filch. Tonks could feel Filch glaring as they passed out of sight. They didn't go back to the common room, instead going up a staircase and through many corridors.

"I'm sorry, Em," Harry said. "You're just following me around and watching me sulk."

Tonks shook her head no. "It's alright. I understand," she reassured him. "Where do you want to go?"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe check on my owl... I really don't know."

"Harry?" someone called from inside a room they had just passed.

They doubled back to see who had spoken and met Professor Lupin, looking around his office door.

"Emily? What are you two doing?" said Lupin, though in a very different voice from Filch. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"

"Hogsmeade," said Harry.

"Ah," said Lupin. He considered Harry for a moment. He then looked to Tonks, who nodded once, as if answering his unspoken question. "Why don't you come in? I've just taken delivery of a Grindylow for our next lesson."

"A what?" asked Harry.

They followed Lupin into his office. In the corner stood a very large tank of water. A sickly green creature with sharp little horns had its face pressed against the glass, pulling faces and flexing its long, spindly fingers.

"Water demon," said Lupin, surveying the Grindylow thoughtfully. "We shouldn't have much difficulty with him, not after the Kappas. The trick is to break his grip. You notice the abnormally long fingers? Strong, but very brittle."

The Grindylow bared its green teeth and then buried itself in a tangle of weeds in a corner.

"Cup of tea?" Lupin said, looking around for his kettle. "I was just thinking of making one."

"All right," said Harry awkwardly.

"Emily?" Lupin asked, looking expectantly.

"Oh," said Tonks. "Sure."

"Been staying out of detention, I suppose."

Tonks laughed and answered, "Yup."

Lupin tapped the kettle with his wand and a blast of steam issued suddenly from the spout.

"Sit down," said Lupin, taking the lid off a dusty tin. "I've only got teabags, I'm afraid — but I daresay you've had enough of tea leaves?"

Harry looked at him, while Tonks smiled. Lupin's eyes were twinkling. "How did you know about that?" Harry asked.

"Professor McGonagall told me," said Lupin, passing Harry and Tonks their own chipped mugs of tea. "You're not worried, are you?"

"No," said Harry.

Tonks watched Harry's expression. Was he going to tell Lupin about the black dog he'd seen back home?

"Anything worrying you, Harry?" Lupin asked.

"No," Harry was lying. He drank a bit of tea. "Yes," he said suddenly, putting his tea down on Lupin's desk. "You know that day we fought the Boggart?"

"Yes," said Lupin slowly.

"Why didn't you let me fight it?" said Harry abruptly.

Lupin raised his eyebrows. Tonks remembered that he had jumped in front of Harry, preventing him from facing the Boggart himself.

"I would have thought that was obvious, Harry," Lupin said, sounding surprised.

Harry was taken aback. "Why?"

"Well," said Lupin, frowning slightly, "I assumed that if the Boggart faced you, it would assume the shape of Lord Voldemort."

Harry stared at the professor, while Tonks was surprised. Since she started training under Mad-Eye, she had started calling Voldemort by his name. She hardly came across anyone else who did.

"Clearly, I was wrong," said Lupin, still frowning at Harry. "But I didn't think it a good idea for Lord Voldemort to materialize in the staffroom. I imagined that people would panic."

"I didn't think of Voldemort," said Harry. "I — I remembered those Dementors."

"I see," said Lupin thoughtfully. "Well, well... I'm impressed." He smiled. "That suggests that what you fear most of all is — fear. Very wise, Harry."

Tonks smiled at her young friend, who began to drink more tea. He turned to Tonks, who sent him a thumbs up.

"So you've been thinking that I didn't believe you capable of fighting the Boggart?" said Lupin.

"Well... yeah," said Harry. He was suddenly looked a lot happier. "Professor Lupin, you know the Dementors —"

He was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in," called Lupin.

The door opened, and to Tonks's displeasure, in came Snape. He was carrying a goblet, which was smoking faintly, and stopped at the sight of Harry, his black eyes narrowing.

"Ah, Severus," said Lupin, smiling. "Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?"

Snape set down the smoking goblet, his eyes wandering between Harry, Tonks, and Lupin.

"I was just showing Harryand Emily my Grindylow," said Lupin pleasantly, pointing at the tank.

"Fascinating," said Snape, obviously not interested. "You should drink that directly, Lupin."

"Yes, Yes, I will," said Lupin.

"I made an entire cauldronful," Snape continued. "If you need more."

"I should probably have some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus."

"Not at all," said Snape. He backed out of the room, unsmiling and watchful. Harry looked curiously at the goblet. Lupin smiled. Tonks eyes widened.

"Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me," he said. "I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex." He picked up the goblet and sniffed it. "Pity sugar makes it useless," he added, taking a sip and shuddering.

"Why —?" Harry began. Lupin looked at him and answered the unfinished question.

"I've been feeling a bit off-color," he said. "This potion is the only thing that helps. I am very lucky to be working alongside Professor Snape; there aren't many wizards who are up to making it."

Professor Lupin took another sip.

"Professor Snape's very interested in the Dark Arts," Harry blurted out.

"Really?" said Lupin, looking only mildly interested as he took another gulp of potion.

"Some people reckon —" Harry hesitated, then plunged recklessly on, "some people reckon he'd do anything to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts job."

Lupin drained the goblet and pulled a face.

"Disgusting," he said. "Well, Harry, I'd better get back to work. See you at the feast later."

"Right," said Harry, putting down his empty teacup. They left Professor Lupin and headed back to the common room.

"Don't you think that was odd, Em?" Harry asked Tonks as they neared the portrait. The Fat Lady sneered as they woke her up for the second time.

"Uh... yeah... really weird," Tonks answered, but she wasn't really listening. She could only think about the potion, all the pieces of the puzzle starting to come together.

* * *

"There you go," said Ron. "We got as much as we could carry."

A shower of brilliantly colored sweets fell into Harry's lap and into Tonks's arms. It was dusk, and Ron and Hermione had just turned up in the common room, pink-faced from the cold wind and looking as though they'd had the time of their lives.

"I have enough candy for a week!" Tonks exclaimed.

"Thanks," said Harry, picking up a packet of tiny black Pepper Imps. "What's Hogsmeade like? Where did you go?"

Ron and Hermione happily explained all the shops. Zonko's, Honeydukes, The Three Broomsticks— nothing changed about the place.

"The post office, Emily! About two hundred owls, all sitting on shelves, all color-coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!"

"Honeydukes has got a new kind of fudge; they were giving out free samples, there's a bit, look —"

"We think we saw an ogre, honestly, they get all sorts at the Three Broomsticks —"

"Wish we could have brought you some butterbeer, really warms you up —"

"What did you do?" said Hermione, looking anxious. "Did you get any work done?"

"No," said Harry. "Lupin made me and Emily a cup of tea in his office. And then Snape came in..." He told them all about the goblet. Ron's mouth fell open.

"Lupin drank it?" he gasped. "Is he mad?"

Hermione checked her watch.

"We'd better go down, you know, the feast'll be starting in five minutes." They hurried through the portrait hole and into the crowd, still discussing Snape.

"But if he — you know —" Hermione dropped her voice, glancing nervously around, "if he was trying to — to poison Lupin — he wouldn't have done it in front of Harry and Emily."

"Yeah, maybe," said Harry as they reached the entrance hall and crossed into the Great Hall. It had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes.

The food was delicious; even Hermione and Ron, who were full to bursting with Honeydukes sweets, managed second helpings of everything. Tonks spared a glance at the staff table. Lupin looked cheerful and as well as he ever did; he was talking animatedly to tiny little Professor Flitwick.

The feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a reenactment of his own botched beheading.

It had been such a pleasant evening.

As they were leaving the Great Hall, Malfoy shouted overed the crowd, "The Dementors send their love, Potter!"

"Why that little—"

"It's all right, Emily," Harry reassured, pulled her after him.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Tonks followed the rest of the Gryffindors along the usual path to Gryffindor Tower, but when they reached the corridor that ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students.

"Why isn't anyone going in?" said Ron curiously. They peered over the heads in front of them. The portrait seemed to be closed.

"Let me through, please," came Percy's voice, and he came bustling importantly through the

crowd. "What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password — excuse me, I'm Head Boy —"

And then a silence fell over the crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down the corridor. They heard Percy say, in a suddenly sharp voice, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."

People's heads turned; those at the back were standing on tiptoe.

"What's going on?" asked Ginny, who had just arrived. Tonks shrugged her shoulders.

A moment later, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping toward the portrait; the Gryffindors squeezed together to let him through, and the four of them moved closer to see what the trouble was.

"Oh, my —" Hermione grabbed Harry's arm. Tonks's heart stopped, her gray eyes widening.

The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely.

Dumbledore took one quick look at the ruined painting and turned, his eyes somber, to see Professors McGonagall, Lupin, and Snape hurrying toward him.

"We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" said a irritatingly familiar voice. Peeves the Poltergeist, bobbing over the crowd and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeves's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle. "Ashamed, Your Headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying something dreadful," he said happily. "Poor thing." he added unconvincingly.

"Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly.

"Oh yes, Professorhead," said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in, you see." Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs. "Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

* * *

Professor Dumbledore sent all the Gryffindors back to the Great Hall, where they were joined ten minutes later by the students from Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin, who all looked extremely confused.

"The teachers and I need to conduct a thorough search of the castle," Professor Dumbledore told them as Professors McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall.

"I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important. "Send word with one of the ghosts."

Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing..."

One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.

The hall immediately began to buzz excitedly; the Gryffindors were telling the rest of the school what had just happened.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

"C'mon," Ron said to Harry, Hermione, and Tonks; they seized three sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner.

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously.

"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," said Ron.

"Probably not," Tonks said.

"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," said Hermione as they climbed fully dressed into their sleeping bags and propped themselves on their elbows to talk. "The one night we weren't in the tower..."

"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run," said Ron. "Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here."

Hermione shuddered.

"Maybe he picked this night for a reason?" Tonks said. They looked at her as if she was crazy. "C'mon, I know you think he's after you, Harry... but what if he's not?"

Their expressions did not change.

"If he wasn't after Harry, then why did he try to get into our common room and not the others?" asked Ron.

All around them, people were asking one another the same question: "How did he get in?"

"Maybe he knows how to Apparate," said a Ravenclaw a few feet away, "Just appear out of thin air, you know."

"Disguised himself, probably," said a Hufflepuff.

"He could've flown in," suggested Dean Thomas.

"Honestly, am I the only person who's ever bothered to read Hogwarts, A History?" said  
Hermione crossly to Harry and Ron.

"Probably," said Ron. "Why?"

"Because the castle's protected by more than walls, you know," said Hermione. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those Dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered..."

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars.

Tonks laid awake staring into nothingness. Her cousin had found a way into the castle and for what? She was sure he picked this night for a reason. And Lupin... his Boggart, the potion Snape had made him, all his scars... She now understood why he looked so sick on the train. It had been a day after the full moon...

* * *

After a few days, the whole debacle with Sirius Black seemed to die down. The first Quidditch match approached as the weather worsened, making the Gryffindor Quidditch team on edge. They were training as hard as they could, perfecting their plays. They were now competing against the Hufflepuff team, who she would secretly be cheering for.

The day before the match, they arrived to Defense Against the Dark Arts expecting another great lesson. Everyone filed into class earlier, waiting for Lupin to arrive.

Instead, black robes past through the door. Snape strode to the front of the class, then turned to face the students. He scowled. He stayed staring at them, sneering at the Gryffindors.

Hermione was the first brave enough to speak. She raised her hand.

"Is there something you would like to say, Miss Granger?" he asked in his low monotonous voice.

"Where is Professor Lupin?" she asked nervously.

"He is feeling ill," was all he said.

After a long silence, he spoke again, "Where is Potter?"

Just then, Harry came in. "Sorry I'm late, Professor Lupin. I —" He came to a halt at the site of Snape.

"This lesson began ten minutes ago, Potter, so I think we'll make it ten points from Gryffindor. Sit down."

But Harry didn't move.

"Where's Professor Lupin?" he asked.

"He says he is feeling too ill to teach today," said Snape with a twisted smile. "I believe Itold you to sit down?"

But Harry stayed where he was.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing life-threatening," he said, looking as though he wished it were. "Five more points from Gryffindor, and if I have to ask you to sit down again, it will be fifty."

Harry walked slowly to his seat and sat down. Snape looked around at the class.

"As I was saying before Potter interrupted, Professor Lupin has not left any record of the topics you have covered so far —"

"Please, sir, we've done Boggarts, Red Caps, Kappas, and Grindylows," said Hermione quickly, "and we're just about to start —"

"Be quiet," said Snape coldly. "I did not ask for information. I was merely commenting on  
Professor Lupin's lack of organization."

"He's the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had," said Dean Thomas boldly, and there was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Snape looked more menacing than ever.

"You are easily satisfied. Lupin is hardly overtaxing you — I would expect first years to be able to deal with Red Caps and Grindylows. Today we shall discuss —"

Snape flicked through the textbook, to the very back chapter, which he must know they hadn't covered.

"— werewolves," said Snape.

"But, sir," said Hermione, seemingly unable to restrain herself, "we're not supposed to do werewolves yet, we're due to start Hinkypunks —"

"Miss Granger," said Snape in a voice of deadly calm, "I was under the impression that I am teaching this lesson, not you. And I am telling you all to turn to page 394." He glanced around again. "All of you! Now!"

With many bitter sidelong looks and some sullen muttering, the class opened their books.  
"Which of you can tell me how we distinguish between the werewolf and the true wolf?" said Snape.

Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Hermione, whose hand, as it so often did, had shot straight into the air. Tonks was furious. Who did he think he was?

"Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between —"

"We told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on-"

"Silence!" snarled Snape. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are..."

"Please, sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf —"

"That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," said Snape coolly.

"Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."

Hermione went very red, put down her hand, and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears. It was a mark of how much the class loathed Snape that they were all glaring at him, because every one of them had called Hermione a know-it-all at least once, and Ron, who told Hermione she was a know-it-all at least twice a week, said loudly, "You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don't want to be told?"

The class knew instantly he'd gone too far. Snape advanced on Ron slowly, and the room held its breath.

"Detention, Weasley," Snape said silkily, his face very close to Ron's. "And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach a class again, you will be very sorry indeed."

"Maybe if you weren't such an insufferable git, no one would criticize the way you teach!" Tonks yelled, outraged. Who was he to punish these kids?

She had gone even farther than Ron had. She had gone into uncharted territory.

Snape was livid, his eyes were blazing. He stepped in front of Tonks, meeting her glare-for-glare. "How dare you enter this class and treat me with no respect. You may be here on Dumbledore's request, but in my presence, you are nothing but just another vile child." He said this in a whisper that was barely there, but still heard.

No one made a sound throughout the rest of the lesson. They sat and made notes on werewolves from the textbook, while Snape prowled up and down the rows of desks, examining the work they had been doing with Professor Lupin.

"Very poorly explained...That is incorrect, the Kappa is more commonly found in Mongolia...Professor Lupin gave this eight out of ten? I wouldn't have given it three..."

When the bell rang at last, Snape held them back.

"You will each write an essay, to be handed in to me, on the ways you recognize and kill werewolves. I want two rolls of parchment on the subject, and I want them by Monday morning. It is time somebody took this class in hand. Weasley, stay behind, we need to arrange your detention."

Harry, Tonks, and Hermione left the room with the rest of the class, who waited until they were well out of earshot, then burst into a furious tirade about Snape.

"Snape's never been like this with any of our other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, even if he did want the job," Harry said to Tonks and Hermione. "Why's he got it in for Lupin? D'you think this is all because of the Boggart?"

"I don't know," said Hermione pensively. "But I really hope Professor Lupin gets better soon..." Tonks wished this too.

Ron caught up with them five minutes later, in a towering rage.

"D'you know what that —" (he called Snape something that made Hermione say "Ron!") "— is making me do? I've got to scrub out the bedpans in the hospital wing. Without magic!"

Tonks felt sorry for him. She had detention for a month, but she spent it with Lupin doing whatever she wanted.

He was breathing deeply, his fists clenched. "Why couldn't Black have hidden in Snape's office, eh? He could have finished him off for us!"

Hermione sighed angrily. "What did he mean by you being here on "Dumbledore's request'?" she asked.

"I think because Dumbledore asked me to come to Hogwarts instead of just sending me a letter," Tonks lied.

"At least he didn't give you detention again," Ron said.

Tonks chuckled, but it was empty of any humor. "Yeah."

* * *

Hermione, Ron, and Tonks ran down the hill to the Quidditch field, ducking under Hermione red umbrella, dressed in Gryffindor scarlet and gold. They found seats in the stands waiting for the match to start. Tonks looked at the sky, where she could Dementors hovering over.

Everyone around the started to cheer, and Tonks looked down as the teams emerged into the field. The rain was coming hard now; the match had begun; she could hardly hear the commentary over the roaring wind and rain. Tonks watched Harry, or at least she thought it was him. She could hardly tell who anyone was.

"He can't see through his glasses!" Hermione shouted over the rain and the crowd. "I'm going down there."

Tonks watched as Hermione left, Ron still enthusiastically cheering for his best friend. She looked up at the sky, where a swarm of Dementors gathered.

"I'm going to go down too," Tonks called, but she knew Ron couldn't hear her anyways.

Tonks pushed herself through the crowd. There was a flash of lightening. A whistle sounded through the stadium, signaling a time-out. She got to the stands where the professors were sitting. The whistle blew again, and the match continued.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Tonks yelled. She went to the professor, who was holding his own umbrella. A clap of thunder, followed by lightening.

"Yes, Miss Tonkson?"

She pointed to the sky. "Dementors," she told him. A hundred of them were gathered, waiting eerily. Another flash of lightening lit them up, their black cloaks whipping in the wind.

It was too late.

A gasp went through the crowd, and people were pointing.

Harry was falling.

Before he did, Dumbledore had appeared in the field, waving his wand. Harry seemed to slow down, then he fell into the mud. Dumbledore was casting many Patronus charms, driving the Dementors away from the field. Everyone watched from above as Dumbledore then conjured a stretcher, set Harry on it, and exited the field.

The rain continued to come down hard.


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

* * *

After Dumbledore had carried Harry out of the stadium, everyone hurried out and back to the school. Ron, Hermione, Tonks, despite their muddy shoes and drenched clothes, went to check on Harry in the Hospital Wing.

Madame Pomfrey did not let them in immediately, so they had waited outside for an hour. They shot up when she finally opened the doors again, shaking her head at the state they were in, but let them in anyways. Harry was the only one in the Wing, unconscious and still in his soaked Quidditch robes.

Ron and Hermione took the seat at each side of the bed, while Tonks sat at his feet. He looked bad, but he did not seem to have anything broken. They were left alone with their for for a few more minutes, when the Gryffindor Quidditch team barged in, much to Madam Pomfrey's dismay.

They huddled around his bed, and they all watched as he slept. The team broke the silence and all began to whisper.

"Lucky the ground was so soft."

"I thought he was dead for sure."

"But he didn't even break his glasses."

"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Harry's eyes snapped open.

"Harry!" said Fred, who looked extremely white underneath, the mud. "How're you feeling?"

"What happened?" he said, sitting up so suddenly they all gasped.

"You fell off," said Fred. "Must've been — what — fifty feet?"

"We thought you'd died,' said Alicia, who was shaking.

Hermione made a small, squeaky noise. Her eyes were extremely bloodshot.

"But the match," said Harry. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?"

No one said anything. Tonks would have laughed if they had been in a different situation. He feel fifty feet from the ground and all he can think about is Quidditch?

"We didn't — lose?"

"Diggory got the Snitch," said George. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square... even Wood admits it"

"Where is Wood?" asked Harry.

"Still in the showers," said Fred. "We think he's trying to drown himself."

Harry put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair. Fred grabbed his shoulder and shook it roughly.

"C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before."

"There had to be one time you didn't get it," said George.

"It's not over yet," said Fred. "We lost by a hundred points."

"Right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin..."

"Hufflepuff'll have to lose by at least two hundred points," said George.

"But if they beat Ravenclaw..."

"No way, Ravenclaw is too good. But if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff..."

"It all depends on the points — a margin of a hundred either way —"

Harry lay there, not saying a word.

After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave him in peace.

"We'll come and see you later," Fred told him. "Don't beat yourself up Harry, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had."

The team trooped out, trailing mud behind them. Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them, looking disapproving. Ron and Hermione moved nearer to Harry's bed. Tonks stayed where she was at the foot of his bed.

"Dumbledore was really angry," Hermione said in a quaking voice. "I've never seen him like that before. He ran onto the field as you fell, waved his wand, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wand at the Dementors. Shot silver stuff at them. They left the stadium right away... He was furious they'd come onto the grounds. We heard him —"

"Then he magicked you onto a stretcher," said Ron. "And walked up to school with you floating on it. Everyone thought you were..."

"Did someone get my Nimbus?"

Ron and Hermione looked quickly at each other, then to Tonks. She knew how much he cared for his broom.

"Er —"

"What?" said Harry, looking between the three of them.

"Well...when you fell off, it got blown away," said Hermione hesitantly.

"And?"

"And it hit — it hit — oh, Harry — it hit the Whomping Willow."

"And?" he said.

"Well, you know the Whomping Willow," said Ron. "It — it doesn't like being hit."

"Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around," said Hermione in a very small voice.

Slowly, Hermione reached down for a bag at her feet, turned it upside down, and tipped a dozen bits of splintered wood and twig onto the bed, the only remains of Harry's faithful, finally beaten broomstick.

* * *

A week after the Quidditch match, Tonks found herself at Lupin's classroom door. They did not see each other as much, except for classes. She missed their conversations during detentions. She knocked on his door, entering at the sound of his voice.

"Hello, Emily," he greeted. He was seated at his desk, a familiar sight to her. Lupin gestured her to come in, and she sat in the seat she claimed hers. The seat in front of him.

She morphed into her pink hair and heart shaped faced and charmed her clothes to her ripped jeans and a purple tank top. When she looked up to him, he had a twinkle in his eye that made him seem younger.

"Where have you been?" she asked seriously.

Lupin found this funny. "Why, three days is not very long."

Tonks pouted. "I needed someone adult to talk to. I can't be around teenagers for longer than a day."

"You have Snape," he pointed out, earning himself a glare.

"Yes, but he despises my very existence."

"And I don't?" Lupin joked, but Tonks did not laugh. "What's wrong?" he asked, frowning.

She met his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Lupin looked genuinely confused. "Tell you what?"

"That you're a werewolf."

Lupin tensed. He did not expect this from her. "H– how did you find out?"

"I'm an Auror. We're kind of trained for these things."

His voice shook. "What are you going to do?"

It was Tonks's turn to be confused. "What do you mean?"

"Now that you know what I am," his voice began to rise, "what are you going to do? Tell the school? Leave? Arrest me?"

"What? N– No! Of course not! What're you talking about?" Tonks was becoming angry. What kind of person did he think she was?

"I'm a werewolf. A monster. I have no right being around these children."

She stood up, pacing up and down the aisle, then walked up to his desk. "I'm not going to tell anyone if you don't want me to. I'm nothing like the rest of pureblood crazy family. I'm your friend, and friends keep secrets," she told him. His posture began to relax.

"You don't care?" he asked nervously. She rolled her eyes at him.

"I told you. I'm not like that. You're great, Remus," she told him. He smiled, making her smile as well. "What?"

"You called me, Remus," he said happily. "I like that."

Tonks smiled even bigger. "Well, I don't feel comfortable calling you Professor when I'm outside of class."

"Can I call you Nymphadora?"

* * *

It was the last weekend before the end of term, right before Christmas. Tonks decided that she would be staying along the Harry, Ron, and Hermione and would head home to spend Christmas and Boxing day with her family. It was also the last Hogsmeade trip, meaning she and Harry would be the only third-years in the school.

She and Harry bid Hermione and Ron goodbye that Saturday morning and watched as they and the rest of the school left to the wizarding village. Tonks glanced at Harry, who looked longingly.

"I think I'll just head back to the Common room," Harry said, turning to her and scratching the back of his neck.

"Okay. I'll be exploring the castle if anything," said Tonks. Harry smile a little, but it did not reach his eyes. She watched as he went in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. Tonks began to walk in the opposite direction, though she did not know where exactly she was headed. A staircase and a few corridors later, she found herself in the same place she had been in weeks before.

Tonks knocked and waited patiently outside, hearing footsteps on the other side of the door. Remus opened his office door a little, and once seeing her, smiled and let her in. She took a seat and changed into her normal body. Instead of sitting, he leaned on his desk and crossed his arms.

"So what brings you here today, Nymphadora?" he asked.

Tonks sighed. "Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus," she told him.

"Where's Harry?" he asked, looking around as if he'd magically appear.

"He's somewhere," said Tonks. She stood up and looked at his desk, He's still bummed about not going to Hogsmeade."

"Ah," he said in understanding. "The life of a teenager."

Tonks laughed. "What do YOU know about being a teenager?" she poked his chest playfully.

Remus feigned mock hurt. "If you did not know, I used to be a teenage boy," he told her, pushing her hand away.

"You? A teenager?" She gasped. "Anyways, are you planning to stay?" Tonks asked. She saw a bag packed beside his desk.

"I will be," he said, "unfortunately, I will be spending Christmas day at home alone."

"Where do you live?" she asked. He chuckled.

"Well, aren't you curious to know?"

Tonks blushed. He did not say anything and just shook his head, smiling, his hair going into his eyes.

Tonks tentatively reached up, pushing it away from his face, revealing his amber orbs. Had they always been this beautiful color? Realizing what she was doing, she quickly pulled her hand away and turned around, hiding her blush.

"Uh.. Er— I need to... go find Harry," Tonks explained awkwardly and left out the door, leaving a confused Lupin her wake.

* * *

_Harry's POV_

After leaving Emily, Harry started to feel guilty. She only stayed because he couldn't go.

"Psst — Harry!"

Harry turned, halfway along the third-floor corridor, to see Fred and George peering out at him from behind a statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch.

"What are you doing?" said Harry curiously. "How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?"

"We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go," said Fred, with a mysterious wink. "Come in here..."

He nodded toward an empty classroom to the left of the one-eyed statue. Harry followed Fred and George inside. George closed the door quietly and then turned, beaming, to look at Harry.

"Early Christmas present for you, Harry," he said.

Fred pulled something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. It was a large, square, very worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it. Harry, suspecting one of Fred and George's jokes, stared at it.

"What's that supposed to be?"

"This, Harry, is the secret of our success," said George, patting the parchment fondly.

"It's a wrench, giving it to you," said Fred, "but we decided last night, your need's greater than ours."

"Anyway, we know it by heart," said George. "We bequeath it to you. We don't really need it anymore."

"And what do I need with a bit of old parchment?" said Harry.

"A bit of old parchment!" said Fred, closing his eyes with a grimace as though Harry had mortally offended him. "Explain, George."

"Well... when we were in our first year, Harry — young, carefree, and innocent —" Harry snorted. He doubted whether Fred and George had ever been innocent.

"— well, more innocent than we are now — we got into a spot of bother with Filch."

"We let off a Dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason —"

"So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual —"

"— detention —"

"— disembowelment —"

"— and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous."

"Don't tell me —" said Harry, starting to grin.

"Well, what would you've done?" said Fred. "George caused a diversion by dropping another

Dungbomb, I whipped the drawer open, and grabbed — this."

"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know," said George. "We don't reckon Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it."

"And you know how to work it?"

"Oh yes," said Fred, smirking. "This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school."

"You're winding me up," said Harry, looking at the ragged old bit of parchment.

"Oh, are we?" said George.

He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

And at once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that George's wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed:

_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present_

_THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labeled with a name in minuscule writing. Astounded, Harry bent over it. A labeled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing his study; the caretaker's cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room. And as Harry's eyes traveled up and down the familiar corridors, he noticed something else.

This map showed a set of passages he had never entered. And many of them seemed to lead —

"Right into Hogsmeade," said Fred, tracing one of them with his finger. "There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four" — he pointed them out — "but we're sure we're the only ones who know about these. Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it's caved in — completely blocked. And we don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance. But this one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times. And as you might've noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through that one-eyed old crone's hump."

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," sighed George, patting the heading of the map.

"We owe them so much."

"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers," said Fred solemnly.

"Right," said George briskly. "Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it —"

"— or anyone can read it," Fred said warningly.

"Just tap it again and say, 'Mischief managed!' And it'll go blank."

"So, young Harry," said Fred, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy, "mind you behave yourself."

Harry found Professor Lupin's name in his office, along with another unfamiliar name...

"Who's Nymphadora Tonks?"

George looked to Fred. "Hey, wasn't she a friend of Charlie's?"

"Yeah, she was a seventh-year when we came along."

"Why's she with Lupin?" Harry asked curiously.

"Not sure why," George said.

"She was on the map a couple weeks ago," explained Fred.

"All the professors seemed to be in a meeting of some sort."

"Odd, if you ask me."

"See you in Honeydukes," said George, winking.

"Take care, young Harry," said Fred, doing another impression of Percy.

They left the room, both smirking in a satisfied sort of way.

Harry stood there, gazing at the miraculous map. He watched the tiny ink Mrs. Norris turn left and pause to sniff at something on the floor. If Filch really didn't know... he wouldn't have to pass the Dementors at all...

* * *

**Author's Note: Regarding Tonks's appearance on the Marauder's Map and how they did not notice her before, remember that Fred and George only use the map at night during their escapades. They use the map to avoid anyone heading their way or something of the such. Also, remember that in Gryffindor Tower, dorms are directly overhead each other. Tonks may appear, but other names would be overlapping hers. It would all be jumbled up for the twins to notice. **

**I just needed to clear that up in case it makes anyone wonder! Hope you enjoyed! (:**


	10. Chapter 9

It was the first day of Christmas holidays. Tonks hadn't seen or spoken to Remus since the incident in his office. She didn't know what had gotten into her. It was something she had done without thinking, something that felt natural to do. She had just pushed his hair hair out of his face, a friendly gesture. Something between friends. It did not have to mean anything.

"Harry, you — you look terrible."

Tonks looked up to see Harry looking disheveled.

"Where is everyone?" said Harry.

"Gone! It's the first day of the holidays, remember?" said Ron, watching Harry closely. "It's nearly lunchtime; I was going to come and wake you up in a minute."

Harry slumped into a chair next to the fire and peered outside the window.

"You really don't look well, you know," Hermione told him.

"I'm fine," said Harry.

"No, you're not," said Tonks. She watched him with a cocked eyebrow.

"Harry, listen," said Hermione, "you must be really upset about what we heard yesterday. But the thing is, you mustn't go doing anything stupid."

"Like what?" said Harry.

"Like trying to go after Black," said Ron sharply.

"You won't, will you, Harry?" said Hermione.

"Because Black's not worth dying for," said Tonks.

Harry looked at them.

"D'you know what I see and hear every time a Dementor gets too near me?" The three shook their heads, looking apprehensive. "I can hear my mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry. And if you found out someone who was supposed to be a friend of hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her —"

"There's nothing you can do!" said Hermione, looking stricken. "The Dementors will catch Black and he'll go back to Azkaban and — and serve him right!"

"You heard what Fudge said. Black isn't affected by Azkaban like normal people are. It's not a punishment for him like it is for the others."

"So what are you saying?" said Ron, looking very tense. "You want to — to kill Black or something?"

"Don't be silly," said Hermione in a panicky voice. "Harry doesn't want to kill anyone, do you, Harry?"

Again, Harry did not answer.

"Harry, he's not worth it," Tonks said quietly. "Leave him in Azkaban. The Dementors... they surround it and suck the happiness out of the prisoners. It's ten times worse than death." Ron and Hermione nodded their heads.

"Malfoy knows," he said abruptly. "Remember what he said to me in Potions? 'If it was me, I'd hunt him down myself...I'd want revenge.'"

"You're going to take Malfoy's advice instead of ours?" said Ron furiously. "Listen...you know what Pettigrew's mother got back after Black had finished with him? Dad told me — the Order of Merlin, First Class, and Pettigrew's finger in a box. That was the biggest bit of him they could find. Black's a madman, Harry, and he's dangerous —"

"Malfoy's dad must have told him," said Harry, ignoring Ron. "He was right in Voldemort's inner circle —"

"Say You-Know-Who, will you?" interjected Ron angrily.

"— so obviously, the Malfoys knew Black was working for Voldemort —"

"— and Malfoy'd love to see you blown into about a million pieces, like Pettigrew! Get a grip. Malfoy's just hoping you'll get yourself killed before he has to play you at Quidditch."

"Harry, please," said Hermione, her eyes now shining with tears, "Please be sensible. Black did a terrible, terrible thing, but d-don't put yourself in danger, it's what Black wants... Oh, Harry, you'd be playing right into Black's hands if you went looking for him. Your mum and dad wouldn't want you to get hurt, would they? They'd never want you to go looking for Black!"

"I'll never know what they'd have wanted, because thanks to Black, I've never spoken to them," said Harry shortly.

There was a silence in which Crookshanks stretched luxuriously flexing his claws. Ron's pocket quivered.

"Look," said Ron, obviously casting around for a change of subject, "it's the holidays! It's nearly Christmas! Let's — let's go down and see Hagrid. We haven't visited him for ages!"

"No!" said Hermione quickly. "Harry isn't supposed to leave the castle, Ron —"

"Yeah, let's go," said Harry, sitting up, "and I can ask him how come he never mentioned Black when he told me all about my parents!"

"Or we could have a game of chess," he said hastily, "or Gobstones. Percy left a set —"

"No, let's visit Hagrid," said Harry firmly.

So they got their cloaks from their dormitories and set off through the portrait down through the empty castle and out through the oak front doors.

They made their way slowly down the lawn, making a shallow trench in the glittering, powdery snow, their socks and the hems of their cloaks soaked and freezing. The Forbidden Forest looked as though it had been enchanted, each tree smattered with silver, and Hagrid's cabin looked like an iced cake. Ron knocked, but there was no answer.

"He's not out, is he?" said Hermione, who was shivering under her cloak. Ron had his ear to the door.

"There's a weird noise," he said. "Listen — is that Fang?"

Tonks, Harry, and Hermione put their ears to the door too. From inside the cabin came a series of low, throbbing moans.

"Think we'd better go and get someone?" said Ron nervously.

"I think it's Hagrid," Tonks whispered.

"Hagrid!" called Harry, thumping the door. "Hagrid, are you in there?"

There was a sound of heavy footsteps, then the door creaked open. Hagrid stood there with his eyes red and swollen, tears splashing down the front of his leather vest.

"You've heard?" he bellowed, and he flung himself onto Harry's neck. Harry, looking as if he was about to collapse under Hagrid's weight, was rescued by Ron and Hermione, who each seized Hagrid under an arm and heaved him back into the cabin. Hagrid allowed himself to be steered into a chair and slumped over the table, sobbing uncontrollably, his face glazed with tears that dripped down into his tangled beard.

"Hagrid, what is it?" said Hermione, aghast.

An official-looking letter was lying open on the table.

"What's this, Hagrid?" Harry asked, spotting the letter as well. Hagrid's sobs redoubled, but he shoved the letter toward Harry, who picked it up and read  
aloud.

Tonks's suspicions during her first Care for Magical Creatures class had been correct. Lucius Malfoy had complained to the Ministry, and now Hagrid's Hippogriff, Buckbeak, was in trouble. They understood now why Hagrid was sobbing. They spent the rest of the time at Hagrid's giving him advice about Buckbeak's case and talking about other cases involving Hippogriffs.

If there was something Tonks knew about the Malfoys, it was that they did anything to get what they wanted.

* * *

It was the day before Christmas Eve, and Tonks was finally able to go home— home to her parents, at least. She went down to the common room where she found the trio. Harry and Ron were in the middle of a game of Exploding Snape while Hermione sat in an armchair, reading a book about Hippogriffs.

"Well," they looked up from what they were doing, "I guess it's goodbye for now."

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked, closing her book and placing it on the arm of her chair.

"Home. I'll be back ow itch everyone else," she told them.

"Why are you leaving now?" Ron asked. "Why not the beginning of holidays? Not that I mind you staying..."

Tonks laughed and explained, "My dad's an Auror, so he's been busy with the search for Sirius Black. He wants me home for Christmas."

"What's an Auror?" asked Harry. Tonks opened her mouth to answer, but Hermione had beaten her to it.

"An Auror is specially trained person who specializes in catching Dark wizards," she told the confused Harry. "They're like police officers of the wizarding world."

Tonks hugged each of her friends and made her way to McGonagall's office. The professor allowed her to use her floo, and Tonks eventually found herself in the place she had grown up. She wiped the soot off of her and changed back to her normal appearance.

"Muuuuum!" she called. Instead, Ted Tonks appeared, coming down the stairs, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his daughter.

"Now who do we have here? Is this that my Dora?" he joked. He went to hug his daughter. "Well, we haven't see you in ages!"

Tonks smiled. "I've been on a mission. I couldn't get away," she told him.

"A mission? Well then, that sounds very adult of you," said Ted. Tonks laughed again and slapped him playfully on the shoulder.

"Ted, sweetheart? Is that Nymphadora?" Tonks heard her mother's voice from the kitchen. A second later, Andromeda Tonks appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on her apron. "Nymphadora Tonks! Where have been? No owls, no visits— nothing for months!" She hugged her daughter tightly.

"Dora's been on a mission," Ted explained to his wife. Andromeda looked to her daughter questioningly.

"A mission? And is this mission so important that you can't even visit us at least once?" her mother asked. Tonks shook her head, feeling like a teenager again.

"It's... a special mission," her mother gestured for her to go on, "I've been at Hogwarts."

"Doing what exactly?"

Tonks glanced around, as if someone would be listening in, then she told her parents quietly, "I've been guarding Hogwarts. Dumbledore wanted protection from the inside, so I've been posing as a student."

Her parents came to understand her absence and after, she excused herself to her room.

When she left Hogwarts and began Auror training, Tonks decided to move into her own flat. Since then, the only times she stayed in her old bedroom was during Christmas.

Tonks looked around. Pictures lined the neon pink walls, muggle and magical, along with Hufflepuff banners, and posters of her favorite bands, and weird Sisters CDs were lined up on a shelf above her desk. Everything was the same as the last time she had been in there, if not a little neater.

Tonks spotted the calendar on her window and changed it to December. The full moon was in a few days. A tap on her window made Tonks jump.

A brown owl with black specks sat outside her window. That's odd, she thought. The owl did not look familiar. Tonks opened the window, petting its head. She took the note attached to its leg and unrolled it, recognizing the spidery script.

_Lupin Cottage, 132 Hickory Road_

After changing into something warmer, she morphed her hair into a shocking red color that ran down her back in waves and her eyes a neon green. Tonks went back downstairs, where she almost made it out the door undetected.

"Nymphadora, where do you think you're going?" her mother called from inside the kitchen. Tonks went back, finding her mother standing in the kitchen, a hand on her hip.

"I hadn't had the chance to do my Christmas shopping," she told her mother.

"Okay," her mother went back to the pie she was baking. "Be back by dinner."

Tonks answered, "okay" and ran out the door, disapparating once the door closed behind her.

* * *

After an hour in Diagon Alley, Tonks was close to being done with her shopping. She decided on plum colored sweater for her mother, a wristwatch for her father, and even gifts for the trio. A brand new copy of Quidditch through the Ages for Ron, and a bracelet that showed the phases of the moon for Hermione, and for Harry, a Tshirt with a moving picture of a snitch. She even found a new Foe Glass for Mad-Eye, remembering how she had broken one a several months before.

Tonks came to the last shop. She entered, hearing the jingle announcing her arrival. Inside, there the shop were all kinds of odds and ends. Things you wouldn't find anywhere else. The woman sitting at her register was reading The Daily Prophet and did not lift her head to check who had walked in. Tonks walked around the store finding all kinds of things. But nothing anyone would really use in their daily life.

She turned around, heading towards the door, when she something caught her eye.

It was behind the counter, on the topmost shelf above all the others. Tonks approached the woman and tapped the woman, who looked up at her, clearly irritated. "Yes?" she asked, cocking her brow.

"May I see that?" Tonks asked, raising her hand to point at the object.

The woman turned around and held her wand, bringing the object down onto the counter. Tonks carefully held the figurine in both hands.

A wolf made of glass stood alone on the black marble slab that held it. Above the wolf's head was a full moon, suspended by magic. It was heavy, and Tonks set it down in fear of breaking it.

"Excuse me, how much is this?" Tonks asked the woman.

"Thirteen galleons," the woman answered.

Tonks looked into her pouch. Luckily, she had gone to Gringotts and had taken more galleons than she probably needed. Tonks took out thirteen and handed it to the saleswoman, who placed the figurine in a paper bag and handed it to her.

Tonks walked out of the shop, holding the bag closely to her. She knew exactly who to give it to.

* * *

Tonks apparated in front of Remus Lupin's home on Christmas Eve, clutching her robes closer to her as the snow continued to fall. She looked up and down Hickory Road and held her package closely to her.

Tonks could see colored lights lining the rooftops and hear the faint sound of Christmas carols of homes nearby. She could almost smell the fresh gingerbread being taken out of the oven, but she knew it wasn't possible through this weather.

She looked at the small cottage in front of her. Unlike the others, the building in front of her seemed lifeless. If Remus hadn't given her this address, she would have assumed it was abandoned.

Tonks walked down the stone path that lead to the front door. The lawn was overgrown, and as she came to the door, she noticed the paint had already begun to peel. Tonks knocked a couple times, hearing it echo throughout the house.

A few minutes later, the door opened, revealing a tired looking Remus. He seemed surprised to see her, as if he had never given her his address. After getting over his initial shock, he smiled.

"Hello, Nymphadora," he said.

"Hi."

Remus looked outside. "Come in," he said, "It's freezing out here."

Tonks stepped pass Remus. She saw that he was not wearing the usual shabby robes he was always in during school. Instead, he wore normal worn jeans and a red sweater.

He noticed her eyes on him and said, "Sorry, I wasn't expecting company."

Tonks shook her head. "It's all right. I just came to wish you a Happy Christmas... I know full moon's coming up and... I got you something," she said, bringing the gift out front her robes. His eyes widened.

"Oh.."

"It's not anything really that great or useful, but I saw it and I thought of you." Tonks blushed, having said too much.

"No, no," Remus was shaking his head, meeting her eyes. "Thank you. I– I didn't get anything for you..."

Tonks handed the carefully wrapped package to him. "It's fine, really," she insisted.

"No, after you got me something. You've only just known me a few months—"

"Seriously, it's fine, Remus," she interrupted. "Consider it a sorry... The last time we spoke, I ran out on you without saying anything."

Neither of them spoke. Tonks looked down at her shoes, biting her lip.

"Nymphadora."

Tonks's head snapped up. "Yes?" She felt like a student again.

Remus's amber colored eyes were on her, and he stepped closer to her. Just close enough for her to smell the faint scent of books and hot chocolate coming off of him.

Tonks felt her heart speed up, her breathing getting shallower as he leaned down, their faces inches apart. He was going to kiss her, and she would kiss back because that what someone did when they liked someone.

And she liked Remus Lupin.

She liked listening to him and watching him and talking to him. She missed their weekly detentions because seeing him just made her day a tiny bit better. Remus Lupin, a man who was thirteen years older than her and a werewolf and her teacher. Not that she cared about those things. He was just Remus to her, her new best friend.

She was going to let him kiss her, and she was going to kiss back because she liked him and she hoped that he liked her back. Why else would he kiss her?

But it never happened because the next second, Remus moved away from her as if he had been electrocuted. He looked bewildered. Tonks stood there, eyes wide, wondering what had just happened.

"I hope you like it," she said, and ran out the door for the second time.


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.**

* * *

Instead of taking the Hogwarts Express back to the school, Tonks apparated to Hogsmeade. She trekked up towards the school, already in her disguise, and joined the other students as they made their way through the gates.

To Tonks's dismay, the Slytherins were not far behind her. Pansy Parkinson's voice reached over the rest of the crowd.

"Oh, who's that I see?" Tonks could imagine her pug like face. "Emily Tonkson? Why, I've missed you! Still as hideous as ever?"

Tonks clenched her fists, walking even faster.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Pansy yelled. She and the rest of the Slytherins had caught up to her including Malfoy, who looked away. Odd, Tonks thought.

"What do you want?" Tonks muttered angrily. She stopped along with their group. Everyone else stared as they walked pass them.

"Oh, nothing really," said Pansy. "Where's your boyfriend? You know, Potter?"

For a second, Remus's face appeared in her mind. "He's not my boyfriend," mumbled Tonks.

"Of course not," said Pansy, and for a second, Tonks believed it was genuine reply. "Who would want to date someone as _disgusting_ as you?"

"That's funny. I was going to ask you the same thing." Tonks smirked at the glare she was sent. Pansy stomped her feet and marched up towards the school, the rest of the Slytherin group following. Tonks grinned evilly, until she noticed someone still standing in front of her.

Draco Malfoy stood staring at her, but not with the malice he usually had with Harry. Instead, he had interest in his pale gray eyes. Tonks raised an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked. "Would you like to add more to her comments?"

Malfoy moved his mouth, but no words came out. It was the first time Tonks had seen him speechless.

"I— uh— sorry about Pansy," he said quietly. "She's just jealous."

Tonks was taken aback. "Why would she be jealous?"

He shifted uncomfortably and said something Tonks couldn't hear.

"What?" she asked. Malfoy suddenly straightened his back and strode up to the school and up the staircase.

He was back to his spiteful self.

* * *

The moment Tonks stepped into the Entrance Hall, she was hit with a face full of bushy brown hair. It was Hermione, who immediately brought Tonks up to date about what had happened while she was gone.

Apparently, Harry had received a Firebolt for Christmas, and it was suspected that Sirius Black had sent it. Hermione had told Professor McGonagall, and now, Harry and Ron refused to speak to her.

They later ran into Harry and Ron in the common room, and despite welcoming Tonks back, it was obvious they were avoiding Hermione.

The next day was the start of classes, and classes were horrible as usual. Tonks especially began to feel uneasy when it came to Defense class. Tonks had spent the time at her parents trying not to think about what had happened between her and Remus.

That day in his class went normally, aside from the fact that he was obviously avoiding her. He never asked her to answer and never called on her whenever she raised her hand. Of course, no one else seemed to notice anything wrong with their professor.

Tonks followed Hermione out of class when they were dismissed, not waiting for the boys like they usually did. Hermione sat at the feet of a suit of armor, and Tonks did the same.

"What's wrong?" she asked Hermione.

"I did the right thing, didn't I? Telling Professor McGonagall?"

"It was the best thing to do. You were just concerned for Harry," Tonks told her friend. "If they don't understand that, they aren't being very good friends."

Just then, Harry and Ron walked pass them. They didn't seem to notice the two girls.

"Still looks ill, doesn't he?" said Ron. Tonks's heart leaped a little. She knew who they were talking about. "What d'you reckon's the matter with him?"

Tonks saw Hermione roll her eyes and give a "tuh". She started to repack her bag, which was so full of books, it would barely close.

"And what are you tutting at us for?" said Ron irritably.

"Nothing," said Hermione in a lofty voice, heaving her bag back over her shoulder.

"Yes, you were," said Ron. "I said I wonder what's wrong with Lupin, and you —"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" said Hermione.

"If you don't want to tell us, don't," snapped Ron.

"Fine," said Hermione haughtily, and she marched off. Tonks remained.

"She doesn't know," said Ron, staring resentfully after Hermione. "She's just trying to get us to talk to her again."

Tonks stared at them. "You are just as bad Malfoy, honestly," said Tonks. She shook her head in disappointment.

"What did we do?" Harry asked.

"She is just trying to be a good friend!"

"Emily, it was a Firebolt! Harry had the best broom in the world in his hands, and now it's gone because of her!" Ron said.

Tonks rolled her eyes and sighed irritably. "It is a broomstick. A broomstick possibly sent by someone who wants to kill you, Harry. She is your friend and only wanted to check for your own safety!"

Tonks turned and marched off towards the direction Hermione had gone.

* * *

It was February, and Tonks had gotten tired of Remus avoiding her all the time. She had tried a few time to confront him, but he had figured out her intentions and had easily escaped her.

Once dinner ended, Tonks made an excuse to slip away from Hermione. She made her way to the History of Magic classroom, where she knew he had Patronus lessons with Harry happened. Tonks changed her appearance and her clothing, then knocked on the door.

"Come in." Relief flooded through her. He was always one to be early. When she entered, he was faced the other way. "You're awfully early, Harry. Is there something—"

He froze once he saw her. Tonks closed the door behind her, but stayed in the spot she was in. They stayed there, staring at one another.

"I– I have lessons with Harry. You can't be here," he said. Tonks could hear the strain in his voice.

"That's not for another hour and a half," she said. Did he truly think he could get away with this? "You've been ignoring me."

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Remus. He turned around so Tonks couldn't see his face.

"I'm not stupid, Remus," Tonks said. She tried to keep her voice calm, but she could already see the tips of her hair turning red. "That night..."

"You shouldn't have come."

"Harry won't be here for another hour."

"Not here," he stated, back still turned. "You shouldn't have come that night. I should have never told you where I live."

"Is it about what happened? Nothing wrong happened!"

Remus turned around suddenly. "I almost _kissed_ you!"

"And?" Tonks was surprised. "What have been wrong with that?"

He looked at her as if she was crazy. "I– I'm thirteen years older than you! And... and I'm a werewolf! I'm dangerous!"

"Who cares if you're older? We're both adults! And so what if you're a werewolf? You are not dangerous, especially if you take Wolfsbane. I don't care about any of that!"

"But... you just can't not care," Remus said. He turned again, pulling his hair.

Tonks crossed the room, touching his shoulder. "And if I don't?" she asked quietly. Before Tonks could do anything else, Remus quickly turned around. It was the closest they've physically been, and she could feel the warmth of his body against hers. Their eyes met like they usually did, amber eyes meeting gray ones.

It was like Christmas Eve again.

Remus gently cupped her face, his eyes flickering down to her lips, before meeting them with his own. Tonks gasped, her eyes fluttering shut. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he lowered his and placed them around her waist.

It was better than Tonks had imagined, admitting that kissing him was something she had always thought about. She leaned into him, savoring the taste of chocolate that came with him. She tangled her hands in his hair and tugged gently, a small groan coming from him. She smiled against the kiss.

Remus's hands seemed to have found a bare spot between her jeans and shirt and rubbed small circles on her skin with his thumb. Tonks could feel electricity coursing from the spot where he touched her. After a few minutes, he pulled away, making her panic.

Remus was smiling. Instead of pushing her away, he kept his arms around her, their faces still centimeters apart. Tonks smiled brightly, her arms resting on his chest. "What?" she asked, giggling.

"You really don't care?" he asked.

Tonks rolled her eyes and gave him a peck on the lips. When they broke apart, she smirked. "Does that answer your question?"

"Not sure," he said. She could see the mischievous glint in his eyes, making him seem so much younger. Remus was about to kiss her another time when—

"Professor Lupin, I know I'm kind of early but—" Harry froze mid sentence, and immediately, turned around. The 13 year old let out a stream of apologies, all while turning a very bright red.

Remus and Tonks leaped away from each other, blushing profusely. Remus scratched the back of his head and smoothed it into place, while Tonks pulled her shirt down.

"I'll... uh... see you— Er— some other time, Dora," Remus said. He was red as a tomato, ashamed to have been caught by a student. He glared at Dora, who was covering her mouth and trying not to burst into laughter.

"I'll just be going," she told him. She walked to Remus and gave him a chaste kiss. "Bye," she whispered and walked towards the door and past Harry. She winked, making the thirteen year old blush even more.

* * *

Tonks left the History of Magic classroom with a giant grin on her face. She changed back to her student disguise and went up to Gryffindor Tower, trying to control the immense happiness she felt at the moment. She got through Sir Cadogan and entered the Common Room, where she saw Hermione bent over a bunch of scrolls and textbooks.

Tonks sat down near her friend, taking out her own homework. Hermione looked up and saw the smile on Tonks's face. "What has gotten you so happy?" Hermione asked. She continued to write as she spoke.

"Nothing," Tonks answered. When Hermione stared at her with a raised eyebrow, Tonks made up an answer. "My dad has just gotten promoted at the Ministry. I'm just really proud of him."

Hermione seemed to accept this and went back to her work. "Whatever you say," she said.

The next hour, Tonks struggled when trying to focus on her homework. She could only think about the kiss.

Tonks was broken out of her thoughts when Ron and Harry came into the Common Room, Harry holding his Firebolt. When the crowd around him dispersed, he and Ron went to the table where she and Hermione sat. Tonks watched as Hermione lifted her head to look at them.

"I got it back," said Harry, grinning at them and holding up the Firebolt.

"See, Hermione? There wasn't anything wrong with it!" said Ron.

"Ron," Tonks warned.

"Well — there might have been!" said Hermione. "I mean, at least you know now that it's safe!"

"Yeah, I suppose so," said Harry. "I'd better put it upstairs."

"I'll take it!" said Ron eagerly. "I've got to give Scabbers his rat tonic."

He took the Firebolt and, holding it as if it were made of glass, carried it away up the boys'

staircase.

"Can I sit down, then?" Harry asked the two girls. Tonks nodded, then looked to Hermione.

"I suppose so," said Hermione, moving a great stack of parchment off the chair beside her.

"How are you getting through all this stuff?" Harry asked her.

"Oh, well — you know — working hard," said Hermione.

"Why don't you just drop a couple of subjects?" Harry asked.

"I couldn't do that!" said Hermione, looking scandalized.

"Arithmancy looks terrible," said Harry, picking up a very complicated-looking number chart.

"Oh no, it's wonderful!" said Hermione earnestly. "It's my favorite subject! It's —"

But exactly what was wonderful about Arithmancy, neither of them found out. At that precise moment, a strangled yell echoed down the boys' staircase. The whole common room fell silent, staring, petrified, at the entrance. Then came hurried footsteps, growing louder and louder — and then Ron came leaping into view, dragging with him a bedsheet.

"LOOK!" he bellowed, striding over to their table. "LOOK!" he yelled, shaking the sheets in Hermione's face.

"Ron, what —?"

"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!"

Hermione was leaning away from Ron, looking utterly bewildered. Tonks stared at the bed sheet. She knew it was blood.

"BLOOD!" Ron yelled into the stunned silence. "HE'S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?"

"N — no," said Hermione in a trembling voice.

Ron threw something down in front of Hermione. Tonks leaned forward, and on top were several long ginger cat hairs.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast was very quiet. Harry and Tonks were sandwiched between Ron and Hermione. Crookshanks eating Scabbers seemed to mark the end of their friendship. From the corner of Tonks's eye, a familiar figure sat at the Head Table.

Tonks had stolen a few glances, and he always caught her as she did so. She could see the small smile that formed on his face, which she hoped was caused by her and not by the conversation he was having with the other professors. She smiled down at her food.

"Hey, guys, what exactly does Nymphadora Tonks look like?"

This made Tonks's heart stop. She slowly turned her head to Harry beside her, who was speaking to the twins, Fred and George, sitting across from them.

"Can't really say," said Fred.

"Yeah, she was a... what is it called?" said George.

"Meta-something. She could change her appearance."

"How?" Harry asked, interested. Tonks continued to pick at her breakfast, listening as they spoke.

"Don't know," said George.

"She just could," said Fred.

"She usually had her hair pink."

"Was it pink?"

"Or more of a red?"

"It could have been a violet."

"She always changed it."

"Why?" they said together.

Harry chewed his food and swallowed. He looked at Lupin, then back to the twins. "Yesterday, when I walked in for my Patronus lesson... He had his arms around this woman. They were snogging," he said quietly. Tonks contained her blush as she remembered.

"WHAT?" Fred and George said loudly. This attracted stares from other houses, but they just went back to their breakfast.

"Professor Lupin?"

"He has a GIRLFRIEND?"

"Or a wife."

"Oh dear, Harry, you must be traumatized."

They all spoke at the same time. "Don't be so loud," Harry told them.

"Are you sure it was Tonks?" asked George.

"Well, I guess so," Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Not many people have pink hair."

"But... he's old!" Fred said. Tonks had to keep herself from glaring.

"Our teacher... _snogging_?" Ron asked, disbelieving. He shook his head slowly.

Hermione, who had been listening intently, finally spoke. "You are aware that teachers have lives outside of school, right?"

They ignored her. "Are you sure it was Professor Lupin?" George asked Harry.

"Yes. He had his arms around her, and from what I saw, he was about to lean in for a snog," Harry said.

"Who was snogging?" asked Dean Thomas, a few seats away.

"Professor Lupin," Ron answered. He said it loud enough for the other Gryffindors to hear.

Tonks swore that she could've punched Harry at that moment.

* * *

**Author's note: I had a very hard time with this chapter. I hope you enjoyed though! Anyway, I start school in a week meaning updates will start to come slower! I'm sorry! I start my second year in high school in high school so wish me luck? (: haha, thank you all!**


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